Harry Potter and the Inevitable
by GinnyPotter0116
Summary: Harry Potter's life is changing rapidly since the return of Lord Voldemort, the world darkening around him and his friends. After being captured and tortured by Voldemort for information, his life is about to change forever. With Voldemort taking over quicker than anyone could of imagined, Harry has to make the choice between what is right, and what is easy.
1. Chapter 1: His Bloody Scar

Harry sighed, and set the _Evening Prophet_ back on the counter. He's been searching the papers for any news on Voldemort and any sudden deaths since he had been cleared by the Ministry for under-age magic. Harry sat up off his chair and looked around the dirty room, surprised to find himself alone. He hadn't realized that Ron, Hermione, and Ginny left as he was reading the paper.

Harry walked upstairs to his and Ron's room, which he found empty, and sat down on his bed. His mind wandered back to what Sirius had told him when he first got to Grimmauld Place, about what he said Voldemort was after. Some kind of weapon he didn't have the last time, but what could be worse than the _Avada Kedavra_? Harry kept thinking, but nothing worse came to mind.

Harry heard the front door open downstairs, and figured another member from the Order arrived. Order member had been coming more often after the hearing, and Harry couldn't understand why. He jumped when he heard Mrs. Weasley start shouting furiously, something about finding another Extendable Ear. Harry chuckled as he imagened the twins cowering under their mothers glare.

He also heard poeple moving down the stairs and to the landing, and sighed to himself. Harry wanted to join them right now, but he also wanted to be left alone. He had been like this since he got back from the hearing, and only Sirius had noticed. Everyone else in the house was busying cleaning and trying to make the house suitable to have people in, so his friends always had their minds somewhere else.

"Harry!" Mrs. Weasley called, bringing him out of his thoughts, "Dinner's ready!"

Harry considered for a moment to stay in his room for the rest of the night, but decided against it, knowing Mrs. Weasley would scold him for hadly eating and locking himself insid the room. He got off the bed and made his way down the stairs, and entered the dining room. Harry was surprised to see so many people. Remus, Tonk's, Mad-Eye Moody, Kingsley, and even Snape were sitting down with the rest of the family.

Harry scar gave a sudden sharp pain, but he was used to it by now, and knew how to hide the fact that he was hurting easy. He found a seat inbetween Sirius and Remus, who were looking at him with concern. They never missed a trick, and it amazed Harry how easily they could tell if you were faking.

"What is it?" Sirius asked in a hushed voice as Harry sat in his seat.

"Nothing, it's fine." Harry told him quickly.

"Harry-" Started Sirius, but Remus cut him off.

"If he said's its fine, Sirius, leave it." Remus told him.

Harry looked at Remus, who was giving him a dissaproving look, and stared guilty down at his plate. He picked out his food while chatter ran down the table, and listened while picking at his food. As dessert was served, Harry felt a pair of eyes on him, and pain start in his scar. The pain was worse then he had ever felt it, and tried to rub at his scar nonchalontly, to avoide attention. His cool fingers soothed the pain little, and when he pulled his hand away it had a small amount of blood was on it. Harry stared in shock, he scar had never bled before.

He felt a drop fall off his head and hit the table, and covered his scar with his hand again. Harry was grateful that no one was aware of what was going on, and tried to cover his scar with his bangs as much as possible. Harry sat up and left the table quickly, avoiding the looks Sirius, Remus, and Molly gave him, and hurried into the bathroom on the next floor.

"What was that about?" Sirius asked his friend.

"I don't kn-" Remus was saying, until he looked at Harry's plate.

Remus' face paled as he saw the few drops of blood on the plate, and looked wide-eyed at his friend.

"What's wrong, Moony?" Sirius asked.

Instead of answering, Remus pointed to the plate, and watched Sirius choke on his wine as he saw it. Remus was aware that most of the table was looking towards them.

"Go check on him." Sirius said urguently.

Remus nodded and left the table, hurrying up the stairs and to the only door that wasn't open. He knocked and heard something drop in the bathroom.

"Harry, let me in." He said.

"Hold on, I'm almost done." Harry replied quickly.

"Harry, open the door." Remus said forcefully.

Harry didn't answer him, but continued on what he was doing inside the locked room. Remus gave a fustrated sigh, and drew out his wand.

"_Alohomora_." He whispered, pointing his wand at the lock.

Remus grabbed the knob and yanked it open, and heard a yelp of surprise. Harry was in the middle of the bathroom, with a bloody cloth in hand, and his hand covered in some blood.

"What happened?" Remus asked, shocked.

"I don't know! My scar starting hurting, then it was bleeding. Remus, it won't stop!" Harry told him, a hint of desperation in his voice.

Remus hurried over and starting muttering healing charms onto the scar, but nothing worked. The only thing Remus could of was to put a bandage of the scar, and did so.

"Go downstairs and into the sitting room, I'll get Molly." Remus told Harry.

Harry nodded, looking pale and pained. He walked out of the room and hurried into the sitting room, hoping no one would see him.

Remus sighed, and looked down at his hands, which had some of Harry's blood drying on them. He didn't care, all he cared about was getting Molly and helping Harry. Remus hurried down the stairs and walked back into the kitchen. He almost walked into Snape, who was leaving. Remus muttered an apology and hurried into the dining room.

No one was eating anymore, but just sitting and talking amongst each other. Sirius was staring at him, a look of worry ecthed on his face. Remus walked right passed him, and continued walking until he got to Molly.

"I need your help, Harry's scar is bleeding and it won't stop." He whispered urgently in her ear.

Molly's eyes widened, but she nodded. Sirius stood up and started to walk over towards them, when everyone heard a _thump_, a yelp of surprise, and a muffled cry from the other room. The whole room hurried out of their seat, and followed Remus and Sirius, who had ran out of the room before them.

The first thing everyone saw was the unconsious body of Snape, who was lying in the doorway. Then they saw Remus and Sirius, starring at something in front of them in fear. All heads turn that way and fear petrified everyone in the room. Harry was struggling and trying to escape the hands of none other then Lord Voldemort.

* * *

Harry looked up as he saw someone in the doorway, and was surprised to see Snape there. At the same moment his scar gave a twinge pain. Snape stared at Harry, saying nothing. Harry rolled his eyes and pressed his hand over his scar, trying to soothe the pain. He heard a sudden thump, and looked up. Snape was lying on the ground, and Voldemort was approaching him. Harry gave a yelp of surprise and jumped off the couch, looking for a way to escape.

Voldemort hurried towards him and before Harry could yell for help, Voldemort clamped a hand over his mouth. Harry's scar seared with pain, and he gave a muffled cry. Voldemort pull Harry closer to him, keeping a grip on his back. Harry lowering his head and closed his eyes, his scar growing painful as Voldemort touched him.

Harry heard footsteps, and lifted his head. Remus and Sirius were first to appear, and looked fearful at Voldemort and Harry. Harry then saw a wave of people rush over, and their shocked faces. Harry clawed at the hand on his mouth, and the one retraining him, by Voldemort tightened his grip and chuckled.

"Lower your wands, Lupin and Black." Voldemort commanded, sending chills down everyones spine.

Harry looked up and saw both Remus and Sirius had taken out their wands, pointing them at Voldemort. They seemed hesitent, and only lowered there wands sightly. Harry felt Voldemort release his mouth and back, and sucked in a deep breath before Voldemort tightened a arm around his neck and grabbed his wand. Harry now clawed at the arm that was cutting off his air supply, and felt Voldemort's wand poke at his throat.

"Lower your wands now, or I kill Potter!" Voldemort yelled, anger in his voice.

"He won't do it!" Harry choked out, seeing the looks of fear in their eyes.

"Shut it, Potter!" Voldemort told Harry, jabbing the wand harder into his throat.

Remus and Sirius finally dropped their hands to their sides, seeing Harry could hardly breathe and didn't want to take the chance of Voldemorts threat happening. Harry looked at the faces staring at him, and saw Hermione, Ginny, and Molly crying silently. He saw Tonk's, Mad Eye, Kingsley, and Arthur trying to regain their composure. And Ron, Fred, George, Bill, Remus, and Sirius looked fearful.

"You didn't think that you could escape me so easily, did you, Potter?" Voldemort asked Harry, his voice now calm and silky.

"Let go of me!" Harry choked out, ignoring his question.

"That would be counter-productive, Harry. Now answer me." Voldemort told him.

Harry didn't answer, his pain was reaching it's breaking point. He could feel blood soaking through the bandage Remus had put over it, and start to drip down his face.

"Why do you want Harry?" Remus asked, staling as he tried to come with a plan to save Harry.

"You see, Lupin, I wasn't done with Harry when he left so rudely in June. I want information, and I plan to get it." Voldemort answered.

"I won't tell you anything!" Harry whispered.

"_Crucio_!" Voldemort whispered, jabbing his wand harder into Harry's throat.

Harry yelled out as pain coursed through him, doubling over as his body started twitching. Voldemort caught him and kept him up straight, allowing everyone to see the pain etched apon his face.

"Stop it!" Sirius yelled.

Voldemort laughed, but released Harry of the curse. Harry breathed deeply, his body trembling with the after shock of the curse. If Voldemort hadn't had a grip on him, Harry legs would of failed to keep him upstraight.

"What do you want? Name it and we'll give it to you, just give us Harry back!" Sirius pleaded.

"Does that feel familiar, Harry?" Voldemort asked, ignoring Sirius, "Someone begging for your life?"

Harry felt sick, the last words he heard his mother speak ringing in his ears.

"And Black, the only thing I want is to kill Harry Potter. And I plan to do just that after he gives me the infromation I want." Voldemort finally replied.

There was nothing anyone could do. No one could throw a curse at Voldemort without hittting Harry, and Harry was too weak to fight back anymore because of the pain he was in. Voldemort knew that, and had a look of trumph on his face. Harry knew right away this wasn't going to be good. He hardly knew _anything_ about the Order, let alone the things Voldemort wanted him to tell

"I'm done here. Say goodbye, Potter." Voldemort spoke.

Harry's eyes widened as he looked at the faces in the room, fear creeping inside him. Sirius had raised his wand and pointed it at Voldemort, but before he could do anything, Voldemort apperated himself and Harry out of Grimmauld Place.

Harry landed with a thud, and tried not to vomit. His stomach was flipping from apperating for the first time. Voldemort gripped Harry harder and forced him to walk with him, jabbing his wand into Harry's back.

Harry looked around his surroundings, but there was hardly anything there. The hallway he was walking down was made of gray stone, and had no windows. Candles on the wall lit the way, cracks on the cement floor. The coldness told Harry he was in a basement. They finally reached a door at the end of the hallway, a wooden door with a small window with bars. Voldemort stopped and opened the door with his wand, and took the wand out of Harry's jeans that he was not able to reach. Harry gulped and watched as Voldemort pocketed it.

"Try not to get too comfortable." Voldemort sneered as Harry peered into the room.

It was the same as the outside; grey walls, windowless, but only a single candle could be found. Before Harry could do anything, Voldemort pushed Harry so harshly into the room that he lost his balance and hit his head on the wall. harry felt blood start to soak at his scalp, and knew no more.

* * *

Hello! I just joined this site but I've been reading stories on it for almost a year, and I originally starting posting this story on a different fan fiction site, but I wanted to switch over to my favorite site. So here I am! The next few chapter shouldn't take long to put up, but if you wanna continue reading than you can look up the story on harrypotterfanfiction, it has about 25 chapter right now. On this site I'm adding chapter together because I didn't realise the chapter were so small, but I plan on fixing that, I like a long and detailed chapter. I like reviews, they let me know what I need to add or fix, so please leave one!


	2. Chapter 2: Sealed Lips

Sirius shot a Stunning Curse right at Voldemort in the hopes of slowing him down, but it was too late, he had already left with Harry. The whole Order stood there for a minute, shocked at what just happened, then quickly sprang into action. Mad-Eye barked at all the Aurors to join him, while Molly and Arthur were trying to calm down the distraught children as Remus, Sirius and the remander tried to figure out how exactly Voldemort had entered Grimmauld Place without being detected.

"Snape had to of been involved." Remus muttered, looking down at the still unconsious form on the ground.

"Of course," Sirius said with disgust in his voice,"I knew Dumbledore should of never trusted him!"

"Never of trusted who?" A voice by the fireplace spoke.

Head's snapped over and saw the form of Albus Dumbledore step out of the fireplace, a look of calm on his face as he observed the people in the room.

"Snape! He helped Voldemort capture Harry!" Sirius shouted in outrage.

A flicker of fear crossed over Dumbledores face for a split second before he regained his composure.

"When did this happen?" He asked quickly.

"A minute or so before you arrived." Remus replied.

Before Dumbledore could respond, a groan from the other side of the room caught everyone's attention. Snape had finally woke up. Sirius's face contorted in anger as he started to march towards Snape, cracking his knuckles threatenly, but Remus put a hand on his chest to stop him. Snape sat up and rubbed at a spot on his head with a soft groan, and looked around at everyone near to him.

"What the hell did you so, Snevilus?" Sirius whispered, but loud enough for him to hear.

Snape stood up and sneered at Sirius while he straightened out his cloak, and was suddenly aware that all eyes were on him. He shifted uncomfortably at the glares he received, but a look of realization crossed his features, and looked over at Dumbledore.

"I don't know how the Dar Lord figured it out, I don't know he could of possessed me." Snape started frantically, but Dumbledore stepped up and silenced him with a finger.

"Voldemort-" Mostly everyone flinched at the name, "Would have figured it out sometime if not now, Severus. Right now we need to worry about how we are going to rescue Harry. I presume Voldemort will ask Harry for information, so that gives us some time before anything drastic happens." Dumbledore said, rubbing his chin in deep thought.

"Do you think Harry will be okay, Professor Dumbledore?" Hermione spoke up in a small, trembling voice.

"For now, at least. But when we rescue him, however, I would say he won't be in the best shape." Dumbledore replied regetfully.

Hermione's face paled even more, her eyes welling with tears, and as Ron saw he quickly rushed to her side and hugged her close to him, trying not to show his own fear.

"Severus, I need you to go when your mark burns, and found out where Harry is being kept. Make sure you don't let Voldemort know what your doing. It is esentual." Dumbledore spoke in a clear voice.

Snape nodded, and sat down on the couch closest to him. Molly started ushering Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Fred, and George upstairs to go to calm down and they left Remus and Sirius were both still trying despretely to keep calm as Dumbledore started to lay out the plans to everyone.

* * *

Harry felt something wet and sticky running down the side of his face, and wearily opened his eyes. It took him a minute to realize where he was, and what had happened to him. Harry placed a hand on the side of his head and felt the stickiness on the side of his head, and pulled his hand back only to find it coated in blood. Harry sighed and got himself into the sitting position, feeling how tight and sore his muscles were from his previous position. He tried to keep calm, everyone knew he was taken, they were surely trying to come up with a idea to help him, to save him-

A loud noise pulled Harry out of his thoughts with a jump, and he looked at the the small door in the front of him with a small window covered with bars. He could see the lock turning, and could feel his breathing pick up. _What was going to happen?_ A masked Death Eater walked into the room, and went right for Harry. Harry tried his best to fight him off, but when the Death Eater tied his hands together and punched him hard in the stomach, Harry gave up his fight and allowed the Death Eater to drag him out of the room. The Death Eater pulled him along in the hall Voldemort had so many hours, or days ago. Harry didn't know how long he had been knocked out.

He was dragged through many corridors, until they stopped at a dark wooded door with a silver and green serpent handle. The Death Eater opened the door with his wand and roughly pushed Harry in. As soon as he entered the room Harry felt his scar burst with pain, and tried to keep the fact hidden, he didn't want to give Voldemort the satisfaction that he could hurt Harry without even laying a finger on him.

Voldemort was sitting in a thrown-like chair in dark green robes, with Nagini laying on his side. The room was a dark green color, with white marble floors, a fire roaring in the backround, and Harry noticed the room was windowless. Voldemort laid eyes on Harry, and gave a slight nod to the Death Eater behind him.

The Death Eater then roughly pushed on Harry's shoulders, forcing him down onto his knees. Harry hid a groan as the floor connected painfully with his knees, and stared straight down, anywhere but those eyes. Harry heard footsteps and a door close, he and Voldemort were alone. The thought sickened Harry.

"Look at me." Voldemort softly commanded.

Harry rufused. Voldemort gave a impatient flick with his wand, and Harry was forced to look into those red eyes he hated so much.

"What do you want now?" Harry snapped angrily.

Voldemort got off his chair, and stood right in front of Harry, adding to more of the pain in Harry's scar. Voldemort raised his wand, and Harry tried not to flinch so violently. With a flick of Voldemort's wand, the stickiness and some of the pain in Harry's head went away, much to his shock.

"Tut, tut, Harry. No need to be rude. Cooaperate nicely, and you can die a quick death. Refuse to cooaperate, you will be tortured until I have you begging me to end it all." Voldemort threatened.

Harry closed his eyes, already knowing his answer. The Order would save him before Voldemort could make the threat happen, _right_? A little pain could be taken before they saved him. Harry opened his eyes again and glared back at Voldemort.

"Now, lets begin. What is Albus Dumbledore planning?" Voldemort asked.

"I don't feel like talking." Harry spat venomoiusly.

"Too bad," Voldemort snapped, "What is Albus Dumbledore planning?"

"Why don't you ask him yourself? You know were Headquaters is." Harry said, pushing off the curse he knew Voldemort would shoot at him when he said no.

"Ah, that's the problem, Potter. I was only able to get in Headquarters by possessing Snape. Knowing that Dumbledore will surely make sure I can't do that agian, I'm unable to get into the Order's Headquaters. Do you see my problem?" Voldemort asked.

"Then you won't get your answer." Harry said.

Voldemort gave an angry sigh, and slashed his wand in the air. Harry hissed as the Cutting Curse hit him on his shoulder, inbetween his shoulder blade. Harry felt the blood start to soak through his shirt, and tried hiding the pained look on his face.

"Do you feel like talking now?" Voldemort asked.

"I'm not that soft." Harry snapped.

"_Crucio_." Voldemort whispered, pointing his wand straight at Harry.

Harry fell to his side as the curse hit him, pain coursing through him like venom. Harry tried hard not to scream, but after a minute under the curse his throat felt like it was tearing from the screams he was giving, the pain becoming too much. When Harry was relieved of the curse, he was hardly concious.

"Take him away. I am done." Voldemort commanded.

Harry felt himself lifted into the air, and carried away out of the room, and through the corridors. After a minute or so, Harry felt the cold floor that was his cell, and welcomed it, falling unconious as soon as he relaxed against the floor.


	3. Chapter 3: The Prophesy

Sirius sat alone in the dark kitchen in Grimmauld Place, a bottle of Firewhiskey in his hand. It was just past midnight, but he couldn't fall asleep, not matter how hard he had tried. The images of Voldemort torturing Harry in front of him were playing out in his head, and guilt was the worst, knowing that he could not help Harry when he needed his godfather. Just then Remus walked into the kitchen, wordlessly taking the bottle out of Sirius' hand and taking a large swig out of it.

"It's late, Padfoot. You should try to get some sleep." Remus told him, setting the bottle on the table.

"I can't. No matter how hard I try I can't get the image of Harry in Voldemort's hands, Remus." Sirius replied, his voice sounding slurred from tiredness and the whiskey.

Remus sighed and sat next to him, and put his head in his heads.

"I know what you mean. But we can't dwell on it right now, we just need to figure out how we can get Harry back." Remus said.

"It was my job to protect him, what kind of Godfather am I?" Sirius muttered, laying his head on his crossed arms on the table.

"Sirius, there was nothing you could of done. If you shot a curse it would of hit Harry, and made Voldemort's job easy." Remus said, trying to soothe Sirius.

Sirius nodded and grabbed the bottle of Firewhiskey again, and drank the remainder of it in one gulp. Sighing, he set the bottle back down and summoned another one out of the cabinet.

"Fine, I'll go to bed. Night Moony." Sirius said, sitting up and taking the bottle with him.

"Goodnight Padfoot." Remus muttered, and walked towards the couch he would be sleeping on tonight since he offered his room to Tonks to sleep in, because she was set on being there for the kids if they needed her.

Remus sat down on the old couch and rubbed his stubbly chin with his hand, feeling the deep scars that ran across his face. _Harry is strong_. He tried to reassure himself. _We'll get to him in time._

* * *

Harry groaned as he picked up his head off the wall it was resting on, and stretched out his arms. He let of a hiss of pain as he made his sore muscles move, and placed his hands back on his lap and clasped them together. Harry looked up at the cracks in the ceiling, and saw light pouring through it, it had to be some time in the day now. He would bet all the gold in his vault that he was in a basement, it would explain the lack of light and windows. Harry looked down at his injury on his shoulder, and took the bandage Remus put on his head off, and wrapped it around his injury. It was the best and only thing he could do for his shoulder for now. Harry looked up at the door as he heard pacing, making his stomach sick. The Death Eater was outside to wait for him to wake, it was the only explanation he could think of that made sense.

Harry quietly sat himself into a better position, and clamped his hands over his stomach as it rumbled with hunger. He wished now that he had eaten more at dinner last night, or was it two night's ago? Harry couldn't tell how long he had been in there since he didn't know how long he had gone unconscious both times. He leaned his head against the wall behind him, noting his blood was stained there from his shoulder, and suppressed a shudder. Suddenly the light coming from his small window in the door disappeared, and Harry looked up. A Death Eater was peeking in, and had a sick smile etched on his face as he saw Harry awake. Harry felt fear rise inside him, but did his best to hid it on his face.

The Death Eater unlocked the door and walked in, walking straight to Harry. Harry looked left and right for any escape, but he knew it was useless, there was no escape. He smacked away the hand that tried to grip his arm, and was smacked across the face for it. In a daze, Harry didn't fight off the hands that hoisted him to his feet, and started to drag him towards the door.

"The Dark Lord has requested for you." The Death Eater told him, and Harry vaguely recognized his voice.

"Great." Harry muttered sarcastically, but quiet enough for the Death Eater not to hear.

Harry was dragged along the many corridors in the basement, and Harry wondered how big the house was upstairs. After a few minutes Harry and the Death Eater reached Voldemort's room, and walked in. Voldemort once again was sitting in his throne-like chair, but Nagini was nowhere to be found. As they reached the chair, the Death Eater painfully forced Harry down onto his knees, and left. Harry and Voldemort were left in the room, and Harry refused to look up at him once again.

Just like the day before, Voldemort flicked his wand and Harry was forced to look up at him. Voldemort's eyes flickered up to the bloodied scar, and let out a loud, annoying chuckle that made Harry's blood boil.

"Well, Harry. It's seems that you have rested long enough, let me tell you what will be happening. I will allow your idiot of a Godfather a chance to save you, if he were actually smart enough to be able to. With the note I will be sending him, I will need proof that you are still alive. All I need you to do is write something down that only yourself would know." Voldemort told him, wanting a reaction out of Harry.

Harry was surprised. Voldemort was _actually_ giving him a chance to go, to be free again? Harry couldn't believe his ears, and he knew better than to trust Voldemort.

"And you actually think that I'll agree to that?" Harry asked.

"Yes, I do. You will do as you are told here, Potter. Or the consequences will be severe." Voldemort said.

Voldemort flicked his wand again and a quill and piece of parchment laid in front of Harry, who looked down at it angrily.

"No way." Harry told him.

"Than how will your Godfather know to find you in Little Hangleton, Potter? It's your only way out." Voldemort said.

Harry was stunned. Little Hangleton? Harry felt sick, the place where Cedric was killed was in walking distance, and for some reason the thought disgusted him. Harry knew that he had to act fast like Hermione, _do something_, like come up with some kind of anagram for Little Hangleton, and hope Sirius would be able to figure it out. Harry knew Voldemort would have to send another letter or two from Harry after this one for an answer, so with a reluctant nod of his head, Harry agreed. He grabbed the quill out of the ink and wrote with a shaky hand on the piece of parchment.

My protonus is a stag, Harry wrote. Voldemort summoned the parchment over to himself and quickly read what Harry had wrote, and tied it with another letter to a black owl. As soon as the owl was a speck in the sky, Voldemort turned around and faced Harry, who tightened his lips to keep the groan on pain coming from his scar out.

"Now, Potter." He began, "I want information on the Prophecy."

Harry looked up at him with confusion plastered across his face. _What the hell was Voldemort talking about_? What was this Prophecy?

"The what?" Harry asked perplexed.

"Don't play dumb, Potter," Voldemort snapped, "I know that Dumbledore had to of told you something about the Prophecy, and I want to know."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Harry told him, being completely honest.

Voldemort gave a small lazy flick of his wand and Harry felt a sting shoot up his left arm, and clenched his jaws together to keep any noise from escaping his lips. He glanced down and saw a cut running across his arm, right on the spot where Wormtail had cut him in the Graveyard mere months ago.

"Lying won't get you anywhere." Voldemort said, twirling his wand between his fingers.

"I'll keep that in mind." Harry snapped, his anger rising again.

Voldemort glared at him with annoyance, then turned away and walked back towards the window.

"With the rate your Godfathers mind works, Potter, you'll be here for quite a while." Voldemort said with a chuckle.

Harry had a urge to strangle Voldemort for making fun of Sirius, but clenched his fist together on his sides, and glared down at the floor.

"You might even be insane by the time he comes, he'll be too late once again. He's never been able to save a Potter on time." Voldemort said.

That was it, Harry's last nerve. With hatred rushing over every voice in his head screaming for him to stop, Harry lunged at Voldemort, reaching for the wand in his hand. But Voldemort was too quick, expecting such a reaction. He spun around and hit Harry with the Cruciatus Curse, watching Harry crumble to the ground in pain, unwilling to give out a scream. After a few long seconds Voldemort lifted the curse, and Harry felt his body try to relax itself instantly, but his continuing trembling did not help.

Voldemort then summoned a Death Eater to take Harry away as he saw the boy was in no right mind at the moment to talk. The Death Eater harshly pulled Harry onto his feet and jabbed his wand on Harry's neck, and walked out the door. The whole walk back to his dungeon, Harry started on his anagram inside his head, desperate to get the hell out of here and back to his family.

* * *

It was the second day since Voldemort had come and taken Harry, and the members of the Order of the Phoenix surrounded the dining table in Grimmauld Place. Sirius and Remus sat on either side of Dumbledore, who was at the head of the table. Snape sat next to Remus, and tried to ignore the glares Sirius kept sending his way.

"Hem, hem," Dumbledore muttered, and silence fell in the room. "Now, there are many places that Voldemort would sought to be his Headquarters,and Voldemort has placed a Fidelius Charm on his Headquarters and had made himself Secret-Keeper, so no Death Eater can tell us the whereabouts," All eyes in the room flickered to Snape for a moment, " So we need to think about any place that Voldemort has been, that might have some kind of value or meaning to him."

Silence filled the room again, everyone deep in thought trying to remember anything about places they heard that Voldemort stayed in the past, anywhere that might have any meaning to him. Almost nothing came to mind.

"Didn't you mention that Voldemort grew up in a orphanage when he was younger, Albus?" Remus asked after a few minutes.

"I did, but the orphange in which you speak of has been gone for many years now, burned down from a muggle fire." Dumbledore replied.

"He wouldn't go to Albania, the place doesn't exactly have the best memories for him," Sirius gave a smirk,"and its too far away from from the Ministry... Other than Hogwarts, I can't think of anywhere that Voldemort might use to hide out." Sirius muttered.

"I have a few leads, so I have Mad-Eye and a few other Auror's checking them at the moment. They will send word if they find anything. For now, we need to brain storm." Dumbledore said.

"Okay," Arthur whispered, "When we find Harry, what do you think-" He suddenly stopped as a pure black owl soared through the window and landed next to Dumbledore.

Dumbledore looked at the owl in confusion as he untied the note attached to it, and watched the owl soar back out of the window without waiting for an answer. Shaking his head, Dumbledore carefully opened the letter and started to read, a look of horror slowly etching on his face.

"What is it, Albus?" Snape asked, leaning in closer to sneak a glance at the letter.

"It seems that Voldemort had changed his mind, and had decided to allow us to chance to save Harry." He answered quietly.

Sirius and Remus shared a look a shock as they both jumped out of their chairs as everyone else looked incredulously at each other, and hurried over behind Dumbledore to read the letter over his shoulder. It read;

_Dumbledore,_

_As the members of The Order of the Phoenix have told you, I have Harry Potter in my custody, and told them there was no way in which I would return him alive. I thought about it more and have changed my mind. If you arrange to have my remaining Death Eaters removed from Azkaban, I will offer Harry Potter back to you. I assume Potter told you where the Graveyard was last year, so you will meet me there at midnight on the night of August seventeenth, and I will trade Harry Potter for the last of my Death Eaters. If in which you refuse to do this, I will kill Harry as slowly as possible the minute after midnight. I suggest you choose wisely._

_-Lord Voldemort_

"How do we even know Harry is alive?" Sirius asked, his face pale.

"Hold onto that thought, Sirius. I see another note in the envelope." Dumbledore muttered, and took out the second note.

After a quick look at it, Dumbledore handed it to Remus, and he and Sirius read it_. My patronus is a stag_, it said in Harry's untidy writing. Relief spread through them both, Harry was alive and thinking clearly. As soon as the relief came, it vanished as quickly.

"Albus," Remus said slowly, "You and I both know we can't let any of the remaining Death Eaters out, it's too dangerous."

"I know Remus, that is why we need to come up with a plan to trick Voldemort that we are agreeing to his terms. It will need to be done carefully, he will be expecting us to try something." Dumbledore answered.

Little did the Order know in the hallway on the next floor, five children stood together holding a Extendable Ear in the middle of them, and had heard every single word they spoke, and all looked at each other worriedly and thinking the exact same thing_. How?_

* * *

Harry gave a frustrated sigh as he wiped his hand across the dirt on the ground, wiping out the words he had been writing in it. Since Harry had awoken in the late afternoon of the next day, he had been trying his hardest to come up with an anagram to send back to the Order, but everything he tried was just a bundle of odd letters together. Giving himself a break, Harry took off his filthy glasses and reached for the small glass of water he had been given while he was sleeping next to the tray of almost empty and stale food, his stomach felt to nauseous to eat too much.

Taking a short sip, he put the glass back down and took a bite out of his last piece of stale bread, grimacing at the burnt taste of it. Coughing on the crumbs, Harry groaned as he scratched his arm on the wall, feeling light pain shoot up his arm from the recent cut. Harry glanced down at it, and had a look of disgust upon his face as he studied the dried blood covering most of the arm, but he didn't dare to touch it in fear of anymore pain. His body still ached from being put under the Cruciatus Curse, and his shoulder throbbed under the bandage Harry had been able to put on it.

He could feel the dried blood on his forehead from hitting his head and his scar bleeding under his fingertips as he brushed his fringe from his eyes, and knew he must look terrible. Hell, he felt terrible. Harry knew that the time he had now was precious, he never knew when a Death Eater would come and take him back to Voldemort, where he knew he would be hit with even more curses. Wiping his eyes free of dirt, Harry wrote the words _'Little Hangleton_' in the dirt again, and looked for any words he could make out of the letters.

A half hour later, Harry had managed to find a word out of most the letters, but still had leftovers. Finally after another ten minutes, he found his anagram. '_Galleon Tenth Lit_', Harry shook his head as he looked down at it, everyone back home would think his was utterly mad. He hoped that Remus or Hermione would be able to figure it out, or even Dumbledore, but he didn't expect them to. But it was _something_. Harry leaned his head lightly against the wall and closed his eyes, letting his mind wander back to what Voldemort said the night before.

What in the bloody hell was he going on about? What was this Prophesy he was obsessing over? Harry had never heard the Order mention anything about a Prophesy, and didn't know how it even concerned him. _But then why was Voldemort even wasting his time? _Harry gave another frustrated sigh at the thought, Voldemort would never stop until he had what he wanted, the events of Harry's fourth year proving the statement right. Harry being here, wherever 'here' was, was proof. Suddenly, Harry could hear footsteps coming his way, getting louder and louder by the second. Quickly glancing down at his anagram, he chanted the words '_Galleon Tenth Lit_' in his head as he wiped the words out of the dirt.

Harry turned his head as he heard the door open, an looked up to into the face of none other than Lucius Malfoy. Not bothering to hid the look of disgust upon his face, Harry watched as Lucius made his way across the room an over to Harry, and pocketed his wand as he made to grab at Harry. Refusing, Harry kicked his leg out and heard Lucius groan as it made contact with his stomach, and him loudly swear in irritation. Harry hopelessly made a grab for the wand sticking out of the robe pocket, but was pushed onto his back hard by Lucius, and found a wand pointed to his face.

"Get up, Potter. Now." Lucius snarled.

Harry glared up at him as he grabbed the wall for support as he stood up, knowing another attack on Malfoy would cost him the strength he needed for Voldemort. Grabbing him by the arm, Lucius dragged Harry with him down the endless corridors, snapping at Harry when he walked too slow. When they finally reached the front of door Harry was now becoming familiar with, Lucius gave a wave with his wand and it opened for them. Inside were a very small group of Death Eaters surrounding Voldemort, whispering in admiring voices to their master. But when Lucius cleared his throat, silence rang through out the room as all eyes focused on Harry.

The familiar throb in his scar came back, but Harry paid almost no attention to it as he looked at his Potion's Professor from across the room. Anger rose inside Harry, it was Snape's fault he was here in the first place, Voldemort had him all because of Snape. Then all the Death Eaters moved away from Voldemort, and formed a group behind the thrown-like chair in which their master sat in. Before Lucius went over to join them, he grabbed Harry and dragged him closer to where Voldemort sat, and pushed him down onto his knees.

Voldemort finally got up from his chair, and stood in front of Harry as he caressed the wand in his hand. Harry turned his head away from those red eyes, but with a robotic turn of his head from the flick of Voldemort's wand, he found himself staring at the snake-like face he hated more and more everyday.

"What do you want now?" Harry snapped, his patience already lost.

Voldemort gave a lazy flick of his wand, and Harry hissed as a blister formed on his knee from a Stinging Jinx. Clenching his fingers into fists behind his back, Harry watched Voldemort start to pace in front of him.

"Well, Harry," Voldemort started off slowly, "Yesterday I sent our letters go your Godfather, but I don't think he truly believed it was you writing that sentence. After all, anyone at the school could of seen you perform a Patronus. I think you need to write something more personal to him, for his sake at least. And if he follows my orders from the letter I wrote him, you should be free by the seventeenth of this month."

"What did you tell him to do?" Harry asked, venom in his voice as Voldemort summoned at quill and piece of parchment over to him.

"Give me my remaining Death Eaters in Azkaban in exchange for you." Voldemort answered, an ugly smirk upon his face.

Harry swore under his breath, of course Voldemort would put the Order in such a hard situation.

"My, My, Potter. You have a wide variety of vocabulary." Voldemort said with a chuckle.

Harry glared up at him angrily and spit on the top of one of his shining black shoes. With a annoyed look, Voldemort gave an angry swipe of his wand, ignoring the faint groan he heard from Harry when the Cutting Curse hit his left knee.

"Anyway Harry, back to the letter. I need you to write to your dear Godfather for me."

Harry took a deep breath, this is what he had been waiting for, his one and maybe only chance. With a trembling hand he reached for the quill in front of him and dipped it in ink, and wrote on the parchment as quickly as he could. As Harry set down the quill, Voldemort summoned the piece of parchment to himself, his eyebrows creasing as he muttered the words written on the parchment.

"Galleon Tenth Lit?" He murmured, looking straight at Harry for a moment.

"An inside joke between me and Sirius." Harry muttered, making sure to look away from Voldemort as he said so.

Fortunately Voldemort was tying the letter to the black owl to even notice, and they both watched the owl fly out in the sky, with Harry's one hope of escaping tied onto its leg.

* * *

A/N: Hello again! I'm not going to rant like I did on the first chapter, I just want to put it out there that I need a Beta, and if anyone wants to be a Beta for me just either leave a review or message me, I'm in desperate need of one!


	4. Chapter 4: Anagrams and Plans

Sirius snored softly on the table in the dining room of Grimmuald Place, his head laying on tops of his arms perched on the table. The clock chimed in the living room down the hall, announcing the time change from nine to ten, but neither the man on the couch sleeping in the living room or the man sleeping in the dining room seemed to notice nor wake up. The Weasley children and Hermione could be heard on the top floors in their rooms or in the halls, and Mr. And could be heard yelling at them to be quiet and to get ready for bed.

The only thing that did wake Sirius out of a dead sleep was a soft tugging on the sleeve of his shirt, and opened his bleary eyes to find the source. The same black owl that brought the letters from both Voldemort and Harry was sitting on the table next to his arm, pecking its beak at his sleeve until he reached out a shaky hand to untie the letter upon it's leg. Shooing the bird away from him, Sirius sat up in his chair and opened the letter carefully.

Unfolding the parchment, he saw immediately that it was Harry's untidy handwriting, but that was the only thing that he could understand of the letter. _Galleon Tenth Lit? What the hell was that supposed to mean?_ Sirius looked around the room and found that damn black owl perched on the window still, as if watching for his reaction.

"Get out!" Sirius exclaimed loudly, waving his hands at the bird.

When his hand finally made contact with the owl, it screeched indigently and loudly, finally flying out the window and back to its owner. Hearing footsteps coming down the hall, Sirius cursed colorfully under his breath, wondering who it was that he had woken up. Remus walked calmly into the room, his eyes wandering over it to find the source of the noise, finally resting on Sirius.

"What's wrong?" He asked quietly.

Picking up the letter off the table, Sirius brandished it in front of Remus' face with fear etched on his face.

"Harry, he's gone mental!" Sirius cried hysterically.

"What are you talking about?" Remus asked, shocked by his outburst.  
Sirius gave him the letter, and watched as Remus read it and his eyebrows crease together as he mumbled the words on the parchment over and over again.

"Voldemorts done it, he broke Harry's mind!" Sirius was beside himself with worry and fear.

Remus shushed him, but it was too late. He could hear several footsteps coming down the stairs.

"Look, Padfoot. Lets just call Dumbledore on the Floo and we'll see if he can understand the message." Remus suggested.

"What message?" A female voice asked by the door.

Turning their heads, Remus and Sirius saw Molly, Arthur, Hermione, Ron, Fred and George standing there. Sirius nodded his head at Remus, and walked past the ground of people gathered in the hall and made way for the fireplace own the hall in the living room.

"We got another message from Harry," Remus told the group, gesturing for them to sit down at the table with him.

"What did it say?" Molly asked eagerly.

"That's what has Sirius so worried, he doesn't understand what Harry put on it. Do any of you know what _'Galleon Tenth Lit'_ means?" He addressed them.

"Excuse me?" Hermione asked, while everyone else looked confused and worried.

"Galleon Tenth Lit." Remus repeated.

"I have no idea what that means." Ron bluntly said with a tone of confusion.

"Neither do we. Sirius is going to ask Dumbledore if he does." Remus told them.

He looked around at everyone at the table, and found Molly and Arthur looking worried at each other, lost for words. Fred, George, and Ron were muttering quietly to one another, asking if any of them had heard the term before. But Hermione was mumbling the words under her breath like Remus had before, her eyebrows creased together as she tried to work out what the words could mean inside her head. After a few minutes of talking amongst each other, Sirius can back into the room with a grim expression. Before Remus could ask him anything, Sirius opened his mouth and answered the unspoken question.

"He doesn't know either. But he said that Voldemort wouldn't of driven Harry mad yet, it would be too soon to try to break him. He said that Voldemort needed Harry sane try to get the information out of him. Kept saying Harry been gone for only two days so far. Dumbledore thinks that its some kind of message Harry wanted to give us."

"But we don't understand the message at all." Arthur said, worry plastered on his face.

"Can I see the letter?" Hermione asked suddenly.

Sirius nodded and handed her the letter, and they all watched as she studied the piece of parchment. After a minute of silence Hermione looked up with a grin growing on her face.

"What is it?" Ron asked her, understanding something the others didn't.

"Of course, Harry made the message this way so You-Know-Who wouldn't be able to understand it! It's an anagram! All we have to do is place the letters in the right order, and it'll tell us what Harry is really saying." Hermione responded.

Everyone in the room looked at her in awe, surprised how quickly she understood what Harry was doing. But Ron looked at her with pride on his face, something that didn't go unnoticed by Hermione, who blushed bightly.

"Brilliant." Remus whispered, and summoned a piece of parchment with a quill and ink, sitting down at the table next to Hermione.

"Now," Sirius said, sitting down next to Remus, "All we need to do is figure it out."

* * *

"Now, Potter," Voldemort continued, watching the owl that had Harry's letter to prove he was alive fly away, "Back to the matter at hand. What does Dumbledore and his Order Member have stored for me and my Death Eaters?"

Harry rolled his eyes, "As if he would tell a bloody student his plans to stop the Dark Lord?" Harry didn't bother to keep the sarcasm out of his voice.

"No, but I would expect him to tell The-Boy-Who-Lived his plans to stop the Dark Lord and his followers."

"Than your a bigger prat than I thought." Harry muttered, not thinking much of what he was saying.

With a swipe of his wand Voldemort added another cut to the growing amount Harry had, and and dropped his voice to a dangerous sounding whisper.

"You know that I can kill at any time, this very moment if I please."

Harry looked up from the cut he was inspecting on his stomach, and glared at the pale face staring at him.

"You could, but you won't." Harry said, not knowing how much he would regret muttering the words later.

Voldemort tried to keep his features calm on his face, but the ugly glare would not bulge. Turning away from Harry and to his Death Eaters, Voldemorts growing rage with the situation slowly started to show, and how far he would be willing to go to get Harry to tell him everything he wanted.

"It seems young Mr. Potter doesn't understand how things work around here yet. Shall we all show him were his place is here?" He asked his servants, slowly rising his wand in Harry's direction.

Seeing the nods of everyone else in the room, Harry tensed as a feeling of unease swept through him. _What was going to happen to him?_ Then Harry felt fear hit him as if he had been struck by lightning as the Death Eaters started to pull out their wands out and point them at Harry as well. He knew something bad was coming his way, and knew it would hurt, and _badly_. Harry tried to prepare his body for the incoming impact, but nothing that he could of done would of prepared him for what was about to happen.

"On the count of three then?" Voldemort asked.

Mummers of 'yes' rang in the room, and Voldemort slowly counted to three as he gave Harry an evil smirk.

"_Crucio_!" Four voices yelled at the same time.

_Pain_. Pain beyond anything he had ever felt pierced his body as he fell to the floor, and Harry screamed in pure agony, his body convulsing on the ground. It felt so much worse than the first time he had the spell put on him, and Harry truly wished Voldemort would show mercy and kill him, anything to stop the agony tearing through his weak body.  
He clamped his eyes shut, his back arched off the ground, desperately trying to rid some of the pain consuming him. Harry bit down on his lip to stop screaming, fearing his throat might tear from it, but Harry could feel blood running off his lip as he bit down with full force. He couldn't keep his mouth shut though, realizing he was just adding to his pain, and let a piercing scream of pure agony, screaming so loud the Death Eaters couldn't hear the laughter coming out of their mouths. Finally, after what seemed a eternity, the curses were taken off of Harry.

Gasping for breath, Harry felt his body go completely limp as he laid still on the ground, taking in the relief it needed. Harry felt like he would pass out any moment, and hoped he would, for pain was still coursing through him, but not as badly as before. Harry looked around as his vision got more blurry, and swore he saw Snape looking at him with wide eyes and fear plastered across his features before his eyes fluttered close, and he faintly heard Voldemort order a Death Eater to take him back to his cell.

* * *

With a small 'pop!', a man wrapped in a dark cloak Apperated in the small town of Hogsmeade, and hurried up the pathway to the large castle on the high cliff. Snape had never seen the Dark Lord use that can of technique before on a younger prisoner, and feared for Potter as he ran and pushed the Castle doors open. Snape ran down corridors as he made his way down to the dungeons, hoping he had enough Pain Reliever Potion on stock. On his way he almost ran into Dumbledore, and did not stop to apologize as he continued his way.

But he could hear Dumbledore following quietly behind him, and Snape could of cared less. Finally making his way down the steps that would led him into his chambers, Snape pushed the door open and hurried in.

"What has happened, Severus?" Dumbledore asked as he watched Snape riffle through his stock of potions.

"The Dark Lord- I've never seen such, such cruelty." Snape sounded like he was hyperventilating.

"What did Voldemort do to Harry?" Dumbledore asked, the words coming out more harshly than he intended.

"He had a few Death Eaters help him put the Cruciatus Curse on Harry."

Dumbledore sucked in a deep breath as he closed his eyes, fearing for the boys sanity more than he had before. Only moments ago Sirius had called for him, crying that Harry had finally lost his mind, because he couldn't understand what his letter meant. Dumbledore wanted to believe Harry would be alright, but the poor boy still had to be in agony from the curses that hit him.

"Hurry then, Severus. Make sure you are not caught." Dumbledore told him.

Snape gripped the potion tightly in his hand and nodded, hurrying out of the door and out of the castle, running towards the Apparation Point in Hogsmeade. He just hoped that he could get the potion to Harry in time.

* * *

A/N: I'll probably be posting a chapter a day now until I have every chapter from the other site onto here, and then I'll be posting chapters as soon as I finish writing them. So, be on the lookout tomorrow!


	5. Chapter 5: Second Thoughts

Harry felt the Death Eaters that had dragged him down the many corridors drop him on the floor of his cell, and heard them lock him in as they left. Harry weakly crawled over to the corner of the cell where he usually sat, and leaned his body carefully up against it. His body was still twitching every now and then from the curse, and the pain had not yet faded. Harry let a small whimper of pain escape his lips, but other than that he tried to keep quiet. He wouldn't give the Death Eaters guarding the outside of his cell the satisfaction of knowing how much pain Voldemort and his followers had inflicted upon him. He had mentally promised himself he wouldn't the second he arrived here.

Grabbing a fist full of hair, Harry clenched his teeth as a sudden stab of pain hit him harder than before, making him want to scream out his pain. Trying to get his mind onto something else, Harry looked down at the cut on his stomach, noting that the wound had finished bleeding and was now scabbing. Harry didn't believe it to be possible that Voldemort could come up with anything else more cruel and twisted than what he had just done, but he had hear a hint of insanity in Voldemort's voice when he talked, and knew if it continued to stay it was only going to get worse for Harry.

The thought made Harry shudder. _Please figure out the anagram_. He thought desperately. _Anyone. Hermione, Remus, Ron, Ginny-_.He stopped his thoughts on the red-headed girl's image in his mind. Shaking his head as he pulled his knees close to his chest and rested his elbows on them. _Stop it_, he told himself. _She's Ron's sister, you can't think of her like that_. Harry then tried to think of Cho, the pretty Ravenclaw Seeker a year ahead of him, but now she seemed as appealing as Hermione was to him. There seemed to be no attraction towards her anymore.

Harry must have fallen asleep pondering over his love life, because the next thing he knew his breakfast tray held food and light crept in though cracks on the wall. Harry looked at his glass of water and noticed a small vial sitting next to it, and looked down at it with confusion. _What was this? Some kind of joke?_ He reached out and grasped the small bottle in his hand, and pulled it close enough to his face so he could read it._ Pain Reliever_, it read in familiar handwriting.

His mind focused back on the pain in his body as he read it again, and it hit him like a ton of bricks. The pain he had been ignoring this whole entire time took all his attention now. Without thinking, Harry uncorked the small vial and poured the potion down his throat, and waited for the affects to hit. Very slowly, Harry felt the pain start to ebb away, like water going down a drain, until it felt like the pain he got from his scar at times. But it was better than what it was before, he could manage it.

Harry sighed as he leaned back into the wall, his body finally able to relax more, and took a piece of white bread off the tray and started to chew on it. In his mind, Harry silently thanked the person that had slipped him the potion, and then started wondering who had enough pity for him to give him the potion in the first place.

* * *

Almost as quiet as a mouse, Albus Dumbledore flooed into the fireplace at Grimmauld Place. His face showed the tiredness he felt inside, for he had not slept at all last night, worrying over Harry. He could hear that everyone was in the dining room, eating what was always a fantastic meal cooked by Molly. Muttering a 'good morning' to everyone, he sat down by Sirius and Arthur at the table, and started to pick out food he knew he would hardly eat.

Remus noticed his odd behavior, and gave him a confused look. Dumbledore gave a pointed nod in the direction of the children at the table, and Remus gave him a slight nod of his head. Hermione, Molly, Arthur, and Sirius all saw this though, but knew not to say anything. After a good twenty minutes of polite conversation and eating, Molly was taking everyone's empty plates to the sink with a flick of her wand.  
Dumbledore sat up from his chair and was about to offer to help clean the table, when they all heard a knock at the door. Dumbledore, who was closest to the door, took out his wand from his pocket and slowly opened the door.

"Severus," Dumbledore said in surprise, "I did not expect to see you so soon."

Severus walked in through the door, and him and Dumbledore walked into the dining room together. Sirius as always gave him a cold glare, while Remus tried to smile, but it looked more like a grimace. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny did not know what to think of him, so kept their faces blank. Fred and George had joined Sirius by glaring at him too, not trusting their Potions Master.

"Severus needs to speak to us, Molly, Arthur, Sirius, and Remus. Please join us in the living room." Dumbledore said, making a point to the kids not to come.

"Why not us? Me and Fred are of age!" George spoke, obvious anger in his voice.

"You have news on Harry, don't you? Why can't we join?" Ron spoke up as well.

"Silence!" Molly yelled at them, "None of you have a choice in the matter, you are not joining the Order!"

"We didn't ask to join the Order," Ron said, pointing to Hermione, Ginny, and himself, "But we all should know how Harry's doing, were his friends and we care about him. Apart of the Order or not."

Molly huffed angrily at her children, about to scold them again, but Arthur put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Molly, Ron has a point. They should know how Harry is doing, he is their friend." He said in a calm voice.

Not giving Molly a chance to speak again, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Fred, and George hurried out of their seats and joined the adults walking into the living room. When everyone was settled in a seat, Remus spoke up.

"What do you know? How is Harry?" He asked.

"Potter, he wasn't okay before, but I was able to slip him a Pain Reliever Potion on his tray with his food this morning." Severus answered in a choked voice.

"What happened to him?" Sirius asked, his voice sharp.

"I don't think the children should be in here to hear this." Dumbledore said, watching Severus glance at them.

"Is it that bad?" Arthur asked in a shocked voice.

"I'm afraid it is." Dumbledore replied.

"We don't care," Ginny spoke up before anyone else could, "We want to know what happened."

Severus sighed and bit his bottom lip, pondering whether or not he should tell them, but knew that they would figure it out somehow, the brats always did.

"The Dark Lord is losing patience with Potter," He began, "He won't give him any information and uses too much cheek. He is usually being dragged away from the Dark Lord unconscious by the end of their conversations."

Everyone in the room was pale white but were hanging on to every word he spoke, and he stopped speaking for a moment so they could process everything he just told them before he continued.

"But last night the Dark Lord had enough, he lost it for a moment. I could not believe what he had the other Death Eaters join him in, it was sick and cruel." Severus shuddered as the memory played out in his head.

Worried and concerned looks were etched on everyone's face, waiting for Severus to finally tell them what was so bad that happened to Harry.

"He and three other Death Eaters put Harry under the Cruciatus Curse at the same time," Horrified gasps rang throughout the room, "But I couldn't do it, all I could do was watch. I could not believe what I was seeing, all I knew that I could do was slip him a potion afterwards to help with the pain. He was still unconscious this morning when I slipped him the potion."

Molly had tears streaming down her face, and Arthur hugged her tightly to him. Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Fred and George did not know how the pain felt of the curse, but knew it hurt bad enough with just one curse, they couldn't imagine having four put on themselves. Sirius put his head in his hands, hiding his face from everyone, while Remus just stared at nothing, a look of shock upon his face. _This isn't good, Harry's going to be insane by the time we find him_, Remus couldn't help but think.

"I thought you just told me last night Voldemort wouldn't do anything to make him go crazy, that he needed Harry sane." Sirius said to Dumbledore angrily.

"Just as Severus said, it seems Voldemort finally lost patience with him, and will do anything to make Harry talk. What is it that Voldemort is asking him to tell, Severus?" Dumbledore said.

"The Dark Lord keeps asking about your plans for him and his Death Eaters, Albus. And he keeps asking about the contents of the Prophesy." Severus replied.

Dumbledore sighed and rubbed his hand across his face, while the kids looked up in confusion, and Molly, Arthur, Remus, and Sirius look appalled.

"But Harry doesn't know anything about your plans, why would you even tell him? And for the Prophesy, Harry knows nothing about the Prophesy." Remus muttered, sounding as if he was explaining it to a small child.

"I didn't want Harry to find out about the Prophesy this way." Sirius said, his eyes shut tight.

"Excuse me, but what Prophesy are you talking about?" Hermione asked from her place on the couch.

"There was a Prophesy made long ago about Voldemort and Harry, and it is the key to destroying Voldemort for good." Arthur told her.

"The Dark Lord is determined to find out everything that it saids, and assumes Harry knows it by now." Severus told them.

"But he doesn't." Ron whispered in a pained voice.

"Exactly, and that is why we need to hurry up and find him soon. Remus, would you please show me the anagram Harry sent earlier?" Dumbledore asked.

Remus nodded and got off his couch and hurried into the kitchen were they had set it last night, grabbed it and went back into the room, handing it to Dumbledore. He held it close to his face, reading it and muttering the words under his breath. Dumbledore then did as Remus did last night, and summoned a piece of parchment and a quill.

"We tried to figure it out last night, Professor. But nothing made sense." Fred said, watching Dumbledore write something down.

"Ah, but you will find that I am particularly skilled with anagrams." Dumbledore told him, crossing out something he wrote down and writing something new.

No one spoke as Dumbledore studied the piece of parchment, and tried out a word he thought it might form on his own piece. Suddenly realization crossed his old face, and pointed at words on the parchment and puzzled them together in his brain. He wrote down a word on his piece of parchment and circled it, then pushed it over towards were Severus sat, who gave a small jerk of his head. Then he pushed it over to were Sirius and Remus sat. Sirius picked up the parchment and read the circled words, then handed it to Remus with a look of dread on his face.

"You've got to be joking," Remus muttered with wide eyes, "That's the last place I would of checked.  
"What does it say?" Molly asked.

"If you will excuse me, I need to call are Order Members that are in the Auror Department." Dumbledore muttered, getting out of his seat and going over to the fire.

Remus pushed the parchment towards them, and the kids plus Molly and Arthur stretched their necks to read the words. _Little Hangleton_.

* * *

Sleep came on and off to Harry for the rest of the day, trying not to think more about what would happen to him in this hell. He just wished he was at Grimmauld Place with Sirius, Remus, and the Weasley's, eating dinner and chatting happily like the day he was captured. It felt like he took that for granted before, because he was worried over what everyone would think of him to even appreciate what was in front of him. And now it was gone, and for how long he did not know. He was pulled out of his thoughts suddenly as he heard the dreaded footsteps coming down the hallway, and the familiar mutter by the doorway to unlock the door.

Harry looked up as the door opened and found a single short Death Eater entering this time, Voldemort must of thought Harry didn't have much of a fight left in him anymore after yesterday. _How wrong he was._ As the masked Death Eater made to grab him by the arm, Harry swung his arm around and punched him square in the face, sending the man stumbling into the wall behind him. The mask on his face fell off and revealed none other than Peter Pettigrew.

"You!" Harry gasped, anger rising quickly inside him.

Peter did not answer, but pulled his wand out and pointed it in Harry's direction. He made another grab at Harry, feeling bolder because of the wand in his hand, but Harry still reacted, with vengeance and hatred boiling through him. He kicked out and hit Peter in the thigh, making Peter give a small whimper of pain. Now it was Peter who reacted. He muttered a spell under his breath, and it hit Harry in the middle of his chest. Harry sagged against the wall, unable to move any of his limbs, and Peter lifted him up with his wand and floated Harry with him down the corridors.

Harry could feel his temper rising, cursing out Peter inside his head and wishing nothing more than to shout them out at him, but found he couldn't. When they reached the door that held Voldemort behind it, anger quickly turned into fear. _What would happen to him now?_ He knew he wasn't going to give Voldemort anything he asked, there was no way in hell he would. Peter pushed the door open with his silver hand, and they found Voldemort sitting alone on his thorn chair. Without a word Peter undid the curse on Harry, making him fall onto his knees, and shut the door as he left.

"Do you feel like talking now, Potter? Is the pain too much to take anymore?" Voldemort asked, his tone sarcastic.

"I can handle it." Harry muttered, refusing to look up at Voldemort.

"For now, later you might think otherwise." Voldemort told him with a small chuckle.

_If I can think at all_, Harry thought. He did not answer, he waited for Voldemort to continue. Voldemort studied him for a minute, looking both curious and confused at the same time.

"You seem to be handling the pain from last night better than I expected." He muttered, a hand on his chin.  
"It wears off after a while." Harry lied.

"Good, I can't have you going insane on me yet, Potter. I still need that information from you."

Harry gave a small snort. He found it oddly funny that Voldemort was still even trying to get him to talk. Voldemort ignored him with a grimace.

"Now, the Prophesy. I suggest you start talking now, or you'll the target of my next curse." Voldemort threatened.

"What's there to talk about it? I haven't got the slightest clue about what your talking about." Harry told him.

Voldemort glared at him, and Harry could see anger rising to his face. This isn't good, Harry thought vaguely. Voldemort then pointed his wand at Harry, and Harry clenched his fingers into fists on his knee. Harry then gasped when he felt as if a long claw was scraping down his back, the nails digging into his flesh. He arched his back as if to escape it, but it followed him. Harry closed his eyes to hide some of the pain he was in, and could feel the blood start to soak through his shirt in the back.

"Enough cheek, Potter! I want to know about the Prophesy, and now!" Voldemort shouted at him, waving his wand threateningly in front of him towards Harry.

"Don't you need me alive to trade off for your Death Eaters with Dumbledore?" Harry asked suddenly, remembering.

"That isn't for another few days, Potter. And I did not promise to have you in any good condition, just that I would bring you to trade." Voldemort snapped at him.

Harry grimaced at his words, knowing they were true. A few days, he then thought hopefully. _Then I'll be back with Remus, Sirius, and the Weasleys. You can hold up until then_. The thought somehow comforted him. Trying to ignore the blood that was now trickling down his back, Harry looked up at Voldemort.

"What do_ you_ know about the Prophesy?" Harry asked, trying to escape the pain for a moment.

"All I know is that there was to be a boy born at the end of July to parents who had escaped me three times. That the boy would have the power to vanquish me somehow." Voldemort responded with coldness.

Harry shuddered. _That_ was why Voldemort came after him when he was a baby? Because he heard about a stupid Prophesy! Harry remembered Professor McGonagall telling him in his third year that not all Prophecy's had to be fulfilled, that you could go about your life without even acknowledging it.

"So that's the reason why you tried to kill me? Why you want to kill me? Because of some bloody Prophesy?!" Harry tried to yell, but his voice was hoarse.

"I cannot kill you until I know everything of what that Prophesy said." Voldemort told him.

"Now I'm convinced I should tell you." Harry muttered under his breath.

Harry's head was spinning. This was the reason that everything happened to him? _It's the secret weapon_, he thought suddenly. _Sirius knew about the Prophesy then, why didn't he tell me?_ Harry felt somewhat betrayed, he out of anyone should know what this Prophesy said. Closing his eyes as if to calm himself, Harry took a deep breath.

"You know as much about the Prophesy as I do, then." Harry said.

"Liar." Voldemort hissed.

"Honesty," Harry muttered.

He gave a soft groan as he was hit with a Cutting Curse hit the back of his hand, and felt the blood start to trickle down his hand. If Voldemort kept hitting him with these he would bleed out before he got Harry to talk. Harry sighed, then looked back at at Voldemort defiantly.


	6. Chapter 6: Breaking Point

Miles away Dumbledore was speaking to Kingsley quietly with his head in the fireplace, Snape had left when he felt his Dark Mark burn shortly after his talk with everyone. Sirius was pacing around the room, wondering if what they might need to bring with them for Harry, while Remus, Molly, and Arthur were arguing with Ron and Hermione.

"You are not going on the rescue mission!" Mrs. Weasley all but screamed.

But-" Ron tried to put in, but was cut off.

"I said no, Ronald! It's too dangerous, and you both are underage!" Mrs. Weasley continued on.

"Not to be rude or anything Mrs. Weasley, but we don't care if its safe or not. Harry's our friend, and we've been through worse than this." Hermione spoke up.

Molly looked shocked, as did Remus and Arthur. They had never heard Hermione talk to a adult like this before, and knew she only would if she needed to make a point.

"We could go under Harry's Invisibility Cloak, and we'll promise not to be seen. We could even hide Harry under it when we find him." Ron added quickly as Hermione nodded in agreement.

"What do you think, Remus?" Arthur asked.

"Well," Remus started with a hand on his chin, "If they do promise to stay under the Cloak at all times, and promise not to join if a fight breaks out, I think they might be able to come. And like Ron said before, they might be able to hide or help Harry when we find him."

Molly lips were trembling, as if she were holding back a scream of frustration or tears, but gave a small nod when Arthur hugged her sideways to himself.

"Fine. You win, you can go. But you mustn't be seen, and you have to promise you to stay under the Cloak at all times, not matter what." Molly told them sternly.

"We promise." Ron and Hermione said at the same time.

That would leave the twins to take care of Ginny at Grimmauld Place, waiting for all of them to come back later with Harry. Hermione then ran up the stairs and into Ron and Harry's room, and fetched the Cloak out of Harry's school trunk on the floor. Dumbledore pulled his head out of the fireplace when she came back down, and looked like the old man that he truly was.

"What is it?" Sirius asked, who was closest to him.

"It's Fudge. He heard Kingsley and I talking on the Floo, and he's coming over soon to get a explanation as to why I want some of his Aurors. I didn't feel like I should tell him of Harry's kidnapping before this, I knew he would see it as a hoax. But I'll make sure he see's reason this time." Dumbledore said.

"What about me, Dumbledore? Where do I go when he comes?" Sirius asked in a small voice.

"Go upstairs with the children. I'll tell Fudge that you passed ownership of this house to me before you were sent to Azkaban, and I'm using it as a safe house at the moment. Mr. Weasley, Ms. Granger, will you accompany him?" Dumbledore answered.

Sirius, Ron, and Hermione nodded, and hurried up the stairs without a second thought. Molly and Arthur left the room, given if the talk did not go well Arthur's job wouldn't be in jeopardy. Remus and Dumbledore waited in the room, watching for the fire to lit up at any moment. Then, a plump old wizard in dark blue robes entered the room from the fire, and laid his cold eyes on Dumbledore.

"So," Fudge began, "Will you tell the reason why you are ordering my Aurors in my Ministry?"

"Fudge," Dumbledore began with a sigh, "You need to listen to me. Right at this moment Harry Potter is in the hands of Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters. At this moment I do not care if you believe he is back, nor do I have the patience for you to come and stop me from saving him. I need Auror's there to help me rescue Harry, he has been there for days now and is very weak. You out of all people should know how those kind of people will treat him, Cornelius. Please listen to reason."

Fudge looked up at Dumbledore, a crease forming on his forehead as he internally debated what should be done, and gave a sigh. He then walked over to the fireplace, threw some floopowder in, and yelled;  
"Auror Department!"

* * *

Voldemort looked back at Harry and gave a humorless chuckle.

"I'm sick of you playing dumb, Potter. You know more than your telling me, so you better start talking now." He said to Harry.

Harry looked away and closed his eyes, not wanting to see the look of anger on his ugly face. He knew the pain was coming, and tensed his body in preparation.

"_Crucio_!" Voldemort shouted.

Harry fell sideways as the curse hit him, his body twitching and squirming. Harry arched his back off of the floor, his body trying to find a way to escape the pain, but hurt more when he tried. Harry bit his lip again, he wasn't going to scream. The dried blood from last time was still there, he could taste it in his mouth, and took tiny gasps of air from the little opening on the side of his mouth. Finally, after what had seemed like hours to Harry, the curse was taken off him.

Voldemort couldn't see it, but Harry knew he was starting to reach his breaking point. He did not know how much longer he could take this pain, he knew Voldemort said he would trade Harry for his remaining Death Eaters in Azkaban, but Harry didn't know if he could last that long. Death started to seem more preferable than this hell he was being put through. Harry thought back to the anagram he sent Sirius and Remus, but knew it was helpless. All it probably did was waste their time and gave them useless hope.

"Feel like talking now?" Voldemort hissed with anger dripping in his voice as Harry sat back up.

"Do you really think Dumbledore would tell a fifteen year old kid his plans for you, for anything for that matter? I went without a scrape of news all summer, and had only been at Headquarters for a few days when you took me. If you would of probably waited one more damn day you would have answers!" Harry blurted out, getting sick and tired of getting asked the same question almost everyday.

Voldemort had a flicker of shock on his face from Harry's outburst, but hid it quickly. Then he just stared at him, his forehead creasing as he studied the Boy-Who-Lived that sat in front of him, bloody and weak.

"Maybe Dumbledore didn't tell you then, but what else do you know?" Voldemort asked.

"What else do I know? _Nothing_. Because your impatient arse couldn't wait." Harry replied with sarcasm thick in his voice.

Voldemort shouted a unfamiliar spell at Harry with a flick of his wand, and Harry heard and felt his left arm snap. He gave a small cry of pain as he reached his other hand to the one that laid limp on his lap, and cradled it gently. His body decided he had enough, because all he could feel was pain, and with that Harry fell sideways for the second time that day, only this time unconscious.

* * *

After talking about the mission with the Aurors that were member's of the Order of the Phoenix, Dumbledore and Fudge had both talked about the mission, and agreed to it. It took shorter than Dumbledore thought to persuade Fudge into helping, telling him Harry's life could be at cost if he did not help was what convinced Fudge in the end.

The plan was simple; Apperate in the cell when Snape let down the protective spells around it, grab Harry without being seen, and get the hell out of there. After that they did not know what they would do, probably take Harry to see Madam Pomfrey, or St. Mungos if he is in a worse condition than they had hoped.

After Fudge left for the Ministry, Sirius came back down with Ron and Hermione, who all looked scared somewhat, but determined. Molly and Arthur walked back into the room as well, and sat down on one of the couch's as they talked in low voices. Remus walked the kids over to the other couch and staring to tell them what would be happening. Dumbledore waited by the fireplace, waiting for Snape to send a Patronus when the spells around Harry were lifted.

Sirius, on the other hand, sat down on a chair in the corner of the living room and tried to stop his body form trembling with fear. He was scared of what condition they would find Harry in when rescued him, to see Harry in a bloody heap on the ground. Sirius gave a small shudder. He knew how Voldemort would treat him, how with a simple flick of his wand he could send Harry into a world of pain, or even end his life. _Stop thinking like that_, Sirius mentally scolded himself, _Harry is alive_.

He looked over to Moony with Ron and Hermione, and found all three of them looking how he felt. Remus met his eye and tried to give him a smile, but it looked forced and out of place. Molly and Arthur were still talking, and Dumbledore was twisting his wand in his hands nervously. Then suddenly, and Patronus Doe floated through the wall, and stopped right in front of Dumbledore.

"It is time." It spoke in Snape's voice.

Remus and Sirius got quickly out of the their seats, while Ron, Hermione, and Arthur stared at the doe in curiosity. Molly patted Arthur on the shoulder to get up, and walked over towards the two teenagers still on the couch.

"I want you both to Apperate with us under the Cloak, just in case someone is in there." Molly told them sternly, but her voice cracked at the end.

They nodded, and Ron threw the Cloak over both him and Hermione, and walked over towards Remus.

"Is everyone ready?" Dumbledore asked, looking over everyone in the room.

"Yes." Molly, Arthur, Ron, and Hermione said at the same time, while Remus and Sirius nodded.

"Apperate in a few minutes after I do, I will disguise myself as a guard outside of the door with the Polyjuice Potion Severus gave me. The Auror's will be posted outside in case we need their assistance" Dumbledore told them.

And with that Dumbledore left with a small '_pop_!'. Remus could hear small nervous gasp's near him, but didn't know if it belonged to either Hermione or Ron, maybe both. Sirius gripped his wand tightly in his hand, prepared to leave at a moment's notice. Molly was hand in hand with Arthur, Side-Apperating with him.

"It's time to go." Arthur said, gripping Molly's hand tightly.

Both Ron and Hermione gripped one of Remus's arms, and closed their eyes under the Cloak. Sirius grabbed onto his free arm, and with that all four of them disappeared with a audible '_pop_!'.

* * *

"Ennervate."

Harry groaned as he regained consciousness, his head pounding from hitting the ground hard. He looked around himself, expecting to see the walls of his cell, but to his horror he was still in the same room as Voldemort. Harry tried to get up, but his left arm hung uselessly at his side, and the pain was to much. He slumped back onto the ground, and glared up at Voldemort.

"Why am I still here?" Harry asked coldly.

"I was being too easy on you by letting you rest in your little cell after our talks. The weaker you are, the easier it might be to break you." Voldemort replied with the same amount of coldness.

Harry looked down at the ground and closed his eyes, trying to think fast. But his brain was acting slow, he was still trying to take in everything that was going on. _What was he going to do?_ He wouldn't bow down and give Voldemort what he wanted, that was unacceptable. But Voldemort keeping him here until he did crack? Harry was starting to freak out, he didn't know what he was going to do.

"Wormtail!" Voldemort suddenly called.

Harry snapped his eyes open and turned his head to look at the door, then narrowed them as he watched Peter walked in, trembling from head to toe.

"Yes, Master?" He asked nervously.

"Is Snape almost down with the Veritaserum?" Voldemort asked him, giving Harry a gleeful grin.

Harry's eyes snapped back to Voldemort, his eyes growing wide and his mouth dropped open. _Veritaserum?_ Did Harry hear him right? There was no way he could take the potion, he could give away too much! Voldemort could ask him anything and he would have to answer truthfully, he _couldn't_.

"He said it will be ready tomorrow, my lord." Wormtail replied in a squeaky voice.

Voldemort nodded, and Wormtail bowed to him quickly and left the room. Voldemort looked back at Harry, and gave him a sinister smirk.

"I'm done messing around, Potter. And if I don't get answers by today, I certainly will tomorrow."

Harry gulped. This was getting bad, and there was nothing he could do about it. Voldemort was finally going to get some of his questions answered, and then Harry would be no more use to him. He was as good as dead now. _At least the pain will end_. Harry thought vaguely. In a way the thought comforted him, in a sick, twisted way.

"But it doesn't have to be that way, Harry. You could just give me the answers that I want-" Voldemort started.

"And then what? You kill me?" Harry cut in.

Voldemort flicked his wand and Harry received another cut on his right arm.

"That depends, you either be good and wait for your cell like a good boy until Dumbledore give's me my remaining Death Eaters, or I can reunite you with your meddlesome parents." Voldemort sneered at him.

Harry bit back the rude comment he wanted to yell at Voldemort, and took a deep breath. He waited for Voldemort to continue.

"Let's begin, Potter."

* * *

A/N: I noticed that no one is reviewing :(. I would love to hear from you, negative or positive feedback. The next chapter will be up tomorrow, and enjoy reading!


	7. Chapter 7: Welcome Back

Remus, Sirius, Arthur, Molly, Ron and Hermione all Apparrated into a small, dark, cold cell inside the Riddle House, and shivered as the freezing air hit them. Remus instantly gripped both of Ron and Hermione, so that he knew where they were, and they all looked around at their surroundings. Molly gave a sudden small whimper, and all eyes snapped in her direction. Without speaking she pointed with a trembling hand to a corner of the cell, and they all looked.

A alarming amount of dried and drying blood was pooled there, and gasps rang around them. Remus put a finger to his lips to tell them to be quiet, and peered into the small bared window on the door. Their was a guard outside, but he didn't know if it was Dumbledore is disguise or not.

"It is I, Remus." The guard spoke, and turned as he took his mask off.

The old face of Albus Dumbledore looked at him, and Remus nodded his head. The Polyjuice Potion must of already worn off, but by the way Dumbledore wore his robes and mask hid his beard, or any part of him that could reveal who he actually was. Dumbledore then put the mask back on, and Remus turned towards the others. He, Sirius, Ron, Hermione, Arthur, and Molly huddled in a corner of the cell, right by the door so they wouldn't be seen and so that they could grab Harry quickly. Hermione and Ron took their faces out of the Cloak, and looked around the cell more.

Sirius glanced over at them, and instantly regretted bringing them here, noticing that their eyes never left the small puddle of Harry's blood. Sirius pulled away from his thoughts when he thought he could hear voices echoing down the corridor.

"What does the Prophesy say!?" Everyone heard Voldemort shout.

Remus and Sirius glanced at each other, hearing the slight insanity behind the voice. Molly gasped and Arthur hugged her to him, while Ron and Hermione looked at each other, the only thing they knew about the Prophesy was that it was the key to defeating Voldemort.

"I've told so many god damn times, I don't know!" Harry yelled back, his voice hoarse.

"_Crucio_!" Voldemort shouted, and Harry screamed in pain.

Sirius and Remus had to grab hold of Ron and Hermione, who had tried to make their way for the door. They both looked outraged as they were dragged back, but Hermione broke into a silent sob as Harry's screams got louder.

"We can't do anything for him right now, we can't be discovered." Sirius muttered, failing to keep his voice calm.

After a few more seconds, Harry's screams died out. Molly was frozen in her spot while Arthur held her, wishing nothing more than to help Harry and save him from the pain he was in.

"What's the point in fight me, Potter? You know you will lose, you know that I will end up killing all your little friends. You're going to die, way not just take the easy way?" Voldemort yelled, trying to keep his voice calm.

"Kill me then! I'm tired of you saying you will, so why don't you just do it then!" Harry shouted, letting his anger get the best of him.

The next thing that happened no one was prepared for. The small group heard Voldemort shout, Harry give another scream of pain, and heard something that sounded like a body drop to the floor. Everyone nervously glanced at one another, did Voldemort finally kill Harry? Hermione trembled in Remus' arms, as did Molly in Arthur's arms. Sirius listened hard, and thought he could hear something coming their way. He then made a signal for everyone to be quiet, and waited.

They all listened as the door unlocked, and watched it open. Two masked Death Eaters dragged Harry inside and set him in the corner of cell in his own blood, and hurried out of the room. Harry breathing was shallow and low, and he struggled to sit himself up against the wall. When he finally did, Harry clutched at something at the bottom of his stomach, and pulled something out of his skin with a sickening sound.

"Muggle weapon." Harry muttered hoarsely as he set the knife aside.

Harry gave another shaky breath and gripped his lower stomach as the bleeding got even worse, trying to stop the blood flow. Sirius could wait no longer at that point, not bothering to make sure if the Death Eaters weren't in hearing range he hurried over and hugged Harry close to him. Harry gasped in surprise and closed his eyes, in fear it was another Death Eater. He realized after a moment the hands holding him were gentle, and not as rough. Harry opened his eyes and looked up at Sirius incredulously.

"H-how-?" Harry sputtered, but Sirius held a finger up to quiet him.

"Not now. We have to get you out of here, and quickly." Sirius whispered and beckoned someone over.

Remus and Ron hurried over, and helped Sirius pick up Harry carefully. He looked up at them with an open mouth, shocked to see them in his little cell. Before Harry could press the matter on, he coughed violently, and spit blood out of his mouth. Hermione, Molly, and Arthur finally approached him, and only had fear and concern for him on their faces. Sirius held Harry up, and Ron kept a grip on his waist so he wouldn't fall.  
Remus went back over to Hermione, and held out his hand to her. She took it with a shaky hand and gripped it tightly. Molly and Arthur tore their eyes away from Harry, and focused on there next destination. Sirius made sure Ron was in some way touching his arm so he would come with them, and with that they Apparrated back to Grimmuald Place.

As soon as their feet landed in Grimmauld Place, Harry collapsed to the ground, and not expecting it, Sirius fell down with him. Ron, who accidentally let go of Harry when they arrived, dropped to his knees by Harry and Sirius while everyone else came rushing over to them. Now, in the light, they all could see just how bad of a shape he was in.  
Blood and bruises were the only thing that had color on his face, and he had cuts on about anywhere on his body. His hair was more wild, matted with blood, sweat, and dirt. His glasses were missing from his face, making him look younger and vulnerable. Blood was dried on most of the wounds, but some still oozed out blood slowly. The scar on his forehead stood out more than before, bright red and looking irritated. His once light blue shirt was ripped and soaked with his own blood and dirt, and hung more loose on his frame than before. The jeans he wore were also loose and stained with blood, only held up by the belt he still wore.

"Help me get him on the couch, and someone call Madam Pomfrey or a Healer from Mungos!" Sirius yelled frantically.

Ron went to put his arms under Harry's back, but he gave a cry of pain, and Ron moved his hands quickly as if they had been burned. Instead he put his arms under Harry's leg while Remus got the other and Sirius held him up with a grip under his arms, and together they hoisted Harry onto the closest couch. Molly was at the fireplace, frantically talking to someone unknown, while Sirius and Remus were checking over Harry in the best way they could.  
Then Dumbledore walked in through the front door, and hurried into the room where they all were, and set Harry's wand on the table. Ron and Hermione looked at it with confusion on their faces, but knew now was not the best time to ask. On the couch Harry was barely awake, with Remus, Sirius, and now Dumbledore looking over him. Arthur had gone upstairs to keep the twins and Ginny away, until Harry looked better than he did now.

Ron and Hermione were only allowed to stay because they had already seen Harry, and the adults knew they couldn't keep them away even if they tried. Molly pulled her head out of the fire a moment later, and wiped a hand across her tear-streaked face.

"Madam Pomfrey is on the way, all the Healers at St. Mungos are busy at the moment. One will be over to help later." Molly told them.

She came over to Harry, and bent down close to him. Sirius, Remus, and Dumbledore backed away unwillingly, only because Molly was the best at Healing Charms in the house at the moment. She muttered something under his breath that made the tip of her wand glow, and ran it over Harry's body. As soon as she finished with it, there were more tears running down her face. They all knew right away that wasn't a good sign, and couldn't find their voices to ask her what was wrong.

"Do we have any potions in the cabinet?" Molly asked Sirius, who gave a shake of his head.

"No, the potions in there were expired, and Kreacher never bothered to keep the place in stock."

Molly then conjured a wet towel, and was wiping away the blood on Harry's face, and trying to help him get some of it out his mouth, but he continued to cough up blood a little at a time.

"I still think we should just take him to St. Mungo's, Sirius. They would make room for him" Molly said in a cracked voice.

"No, you know how much Harry hates attention from the public, he would rather be here. He's getting better medical attention here, and I'll be able to stay with him." Sirius told her.

For once, Molly did not argue with him, but continued to wipe Harry's face. Harry was in and out of it at the moment, barely aware of what was happening. After a few moments of nothing but breathing and shaky sighs, the fireplace lit up. Madam Pomfrey hurried out of it, clasping a bag tightly in her hand she made her way over to Harry on the couch. Dumbledore conjured a plush chair for her to sit in, and she grabbed her wand out of her pocket when she approached Harry, and muttered the same spell as Molly did before.

"He isn't in the best of shape," She told them unnecessarily, "A broken rib, a broken arm, barely healed head injuries, cuts, bruises, a punctured lung, signs of overexposure to the Cruciatus Curse, loss of blood, you name it. I'm surprised he wasn't driven to insanity."

"He isn't insane, right?" Ron asked, sitting on the couch with Hermione and his mum.

"No, Mr. Weasley. He doesn't show the signs." Madam Pomfrey answered to everyone's relief.

Madam Pomfrey then swished her wand in front of her, and Harry's shirt suddenly disappeared. In the bright light made him look ten times pale and worse. The light made his skin look like a shining white, the blood and cuts standing out on it. He looked more underfed than usual, you could make out where exactly his ribs were. Harry's chest rose slowly, hardly at all.

Ron and Hermione held each other's hands tightly, focusing their eyes on his heart beating slowly on his chest. Molly and Dumbledore looked horrified and angry, their hands trembling at their sides. Sirius and Remus focused on Harry's face, his eyes closed and his lips drawing in rattling breaths. The thought of what Voldemort had put him through brought them close to tears.

Madam Pomfrey worked her wand over the knife injury on his stomach, muttering under her breath as she waved her wand over the open skin, looking as though she was sewing air together. None of them got to see how she fixed the wound before she conjured a thick white bandage to put over it. Madam Pomfrey then summoned a small bottle of Dittany, and started dropping a few drops on the cuts on his stomach, arms, and legs. Harry squirmed as she did this, but did not fully wake up.

"I need someone to help me flip him over, I know there's a few cuts on his back." Madam Pomfrey spoke.

Remus came over from the wall he was leaning on, and dropped down onto his knees by Harry. Madam Pomfrey started to gently pull Harry onto his back by his shoulders, while Remus went over and started to flip his legs over, but Harry unconsciously gripped the edge of the couch with his fingers to stop them.

"I think we need him fully awake, it'll help more so he can tell me what hurts." Madam Pomfrey said.

With a reluctant nod of his head, Sirius agreed. There wasn't time to argue, but he knew he should trust her more than he did at the moment. Madam Pomfrey pointed her wand at Harry, and Remus noticed her hand trembled slightly as she did so.

"_Ennervate_." She whispered.

Harry groaned, but didn't open his eyes. He stayed tense on the couch, as if waiting for something to hit him. The adults expected he would react like this, but it still upset them. Remus reached out a hand from where he was kneeled, and touched Harry gently on the shoulder. Harry flinched when his hand made contact, and only shut his eyes tighter.

"Harry," Remus said, a slight tremble in his voice.

Harry's eyes then snapped wide open, and looked wildly around the room. His mouth opened in shock as he looked at everyone, as if hardly believing they were right in front of him. He went to sit up with his elbows supporting him, but he gave a small whimper and sagged back onto the couch. He couldn't keep his eyes away from Sirius or Remus, flicking back and forth to see them both.

H-how did you-?" Harry sputtered for the second time, his eyebrows furrowed together.

From what they all could tell, he remembered nothing of the rescue, and couldn't understand how they found him without being noticed.

"I'll tell you later, I promise. But right now we need Madam Pomfrey to take a look at you." Sirius said in a small, reassuring voice.

Harry nodded, and looked up at the matron. She smiled at him sadly, and grabbed the bottle of Dittany from the place she set it.

"What hurts the most right now, Harry?" She asked gently.

"My arm and my back." He told her in a cracked voice.

She nodded, and gently rubbed her hand over his left arm. Harry groaned and he closed his eyes, shaking his head for her to stop. She did immediately, and looked more carefully at it.

"It seem's all the bones in your arm are broken. Do you know what spell he used, Harry? I've never seen a spell do this kind of damage." Madam Pomfrey asked.

"No," Harry answered, "He just shouted something I couldn't understand, and I heard my arm snap."

Dumbledore sat down in a chair behind the couch and tried to remain calm, but inside he was seething. Everyone else in the room did not try to hide how they felt, but let it show plain on their faces. Madam Pomfrey ran her wand down the length of his arm, muttering under her breath. They all then heard a big snap, Harry give a small groan, and then a sigh of relief.

"I need you to sit up and turn your back towards me, Harry." She instructed him, and tried not to notice the flicker of fear she saw in his eyes.

In truth, Harry didn't want her to look at the cuts on his back. For one, they hurt like hell, and for some odd reason, he didn't want anyone to see them. Summoning all his courage, Harry slowly turned around, and waited for everyone's reaction. Ron, Hermione, and Dumbledore stared at his back with wide eyes, hardly believing what they were seeing. Sirius had his fist balled up at his side, anger showing on his face. Remus and Molly gasped when they saw the three long cuts on his back, and could feel tears welling in their eyes.  
Madam Pomfrey took a deep breath when she saw the cuts, and set to work. She uncorked the bottle of Dittany in her hand, and dropped a few drops of it onto one of the cuts. Harry sucked in a deep breath when he felt the liquid hit the cut, but nothing happened, the cut smoked slightly but didn't heal. Confused, she ran her wand down the wound while she muttered a spell, and realization crossed her old features.

"It was done by dark magic, it'll have to heal by itself." She said quietly.

Harry didn't say anything, but rested his head on his hands, wincing slightly at the pain in his muscles. The adults desperately tried to remain calm, while Ron and Hermione sucked in deep breaths.

"Why did he do it?" Ron asked with anger laced in his voice.

Harry looked up from his place on the couch, and gave Ron a small forced smile. He was actually glad that he had asked what everyone else was thinking, but reluctantly told him.

"Because I didn't know about the stupid Prophesy." He muttered.

Ron nodded and leaned back into the couch, rubbing his eyes. Hermione looked at him while tears streamed down her pale face, but she gave him a small smile. He tried to smile back, but knew it didn't look real. Madam Pomfrey summoned bandages out of thin air, and started to apply them onto Harry's back. He arched his back as she put them on, they had some type of medicine on them that stung the open wounds. When she finished, she kneeled down by Harry, and waved her wand carefully around him.

"There's still more that I need to heal." She told him.

He looked up at her and nodded, and with that she went back to work over his weak and bloody body.

* * *

A/N: I'm glad that I got a review or two, I love hearing from you. Is it sad that I don't know how to respond? I tried and it tried to send it by Private Message. Oh well, hopefully I'll figure it out soon. Don't forget to leave a review!


	8. Chapter 8: Healing and Revealing

Madam Pomfrey ran her wand over Harry for what seemed the millionth time, and they all watched as the end of it glowed when she past Harry's stomach. Muttering something under her breath, she found the problem.

"Your lung is punctured. There is only so much magic can do from the outside, so I need you to be careful even after I heal it." She told Harry carefully.

He nodded up to her, then locked his on the ground again, not wanting to look at anyone in the room. Waving her wand in front of her, Madam Pomfrey spent a few minutes muttering a spell and waving her wand around Harry's stomach. Then he felt as though a ice dagger went through something inside of his stomach, and shifted uncomfortably in his seat at the feeling. She then looked up at his head, and her eyes focused on the blood dried on his forehead and hair.

"How old is that head injury, Harry?" She asked. Gently bringing his head closer so she could look.

She patted his head carefully, feeling for any bumps and cuts, but couldn't. Harry winced as she touched the very back of his head, and he let out a deep breath.

"First day I got there," He told her in a small voice, "Hit my head on the wall and was knocked out."

She nodded, and pulled out the bottle of Dittany again, and poured a few drops over the back of his head. It smoked slightly, making it look as if his hair was on fire, and Harry tried to hide his discomfort from everyone. When she patted the area again, Harry could not feel anything, and was glad to find that it helped get rid of the slight pounding in his head.

"Anything else that I need to heal?" She asked him gently.

If Harry didn't look uncomfortable then, he definitely did now. He tried to avoid eye contact with everyone in the room, but they all were looking at him. He didn't know what they knew of his time there, and didn't want to see the horrified looks on their faces. The same question was one all their minds, what was wrong?  
"My muscles, they're really sore." He told her in a whisper.

For a moment he thought he saw pity and sadness on her face, but it disappeared in a second.

"_Invenire dolor_," She muttered with her wand pointed at chest.

A small wisp of smoke came out of her wand, and flashed a bright red, then disappeared into nothing. Sucking in a deep breath, she grabbed her bag and put it on her lap, and searched through the contents.

"What is it?" Molly asked, unfamiliar with the spell.

"It checks for the amount of soreness in a muscle in the body. Red is about the highest it can go." She answered, her voice shaky.

There was a intake of breath around him, and Harry didn't look to see their reactions, he knew there was pity written all over their faces. Finally finding what she was looking for, Madam Pomfrey reached down in her bag and produced a small vial of a sickening green looking potion.

"It's all I have right now, but I'll get you some more." She said, uncorking it for Harry.

"What is it?" Harry asked, straining to read the small letters written on the potion.

"It's a Pain Reliever Potion." She replied, and handed the vial to him.

"Someone slipped me one in Little Hangleton." Harry said, suddenly remembering.

"We'll explain everything later, Harry. Let Madam Pomfrey finish tending to you first." Dumbledore said hastily, knowing what Harry's reaction would be if he told him who helped him.

Gripping the vial tight in his hand, Harry poured the potion down his throat with a look of disgust was on his face. He set the vial down on a table by the end of the couch next to him, and closed his eyes as his stomach churned uncomfortably. Even though Harry was hungry, the thought of food almost sent him running to the toilet. He hardly ate while he was in his cell, mostly because he hardly got food, but because he was usually unconscious most of the time or he was in too much pain to notice his hunger. Now he wished he would of, he hated the feeling inside his stomach right now.

Just like before, the affect of the potion was almost immediate. Harry's stiff muscles seemed to relax, and even though the pain that was in them dulled down, he felt as though he ran two miles non-stop. Finally feeling some kind of relief than what he had before, Harry let his body relax into the couch, and let his head fall onto the back of the couch.

Sirius and Remus seemed stunned by his reaction to the potion, seeing how much Harry seemed to relax, even though there was still pain coursing through him. His endurance to pain was higher than they thought. Molly watched him, caught between relief and pity as she saw him finally relax. She had noticed when they first arrived back that even in his unconscious form his body was tense and alert.

Dumbledore felt that he was to blame for everything that happened to Harry, he should of have the wards look for certain types of magic on Severus when he came in, not to just allow him with any type of dark magic on him. Ron and Hermione could barely watch him, images running in their heads of what could of happened to Harry that made him how was in front of them right now.

Arthur came back down then, with folded clothes resting in his arms as he came into the room. When he walked in, he looked straight at Harry, and most people in the room thought he was going to faint. When they had rescued him before Arthur knew he would be in terrible shape, but the lighting was too dim in the cell and he had immediately rushed upstairs after they returned to keep his other children away. His eyes popped wide open as his mouth dropped open, his eyes scanning down Harry and his injuries. Walking almost numbly, he came over to Harry at set the pile of clothes on the arm of the couch.

"These are for you to change into when you're ready." He said quietly to Harry, a slight tremble in his voice.

"Thank you, Mr. Weasley." Harry croaked.

Arthur gave him a half-hearted smile, and gave Harry a very gentle pat on the shoulder that didn't have blood staining the sleeve. Arthur then walked over and sat close to Molly, and grabbed her hand. Madam Pomfrey walked over and grabbed a blanket folded on the couch behind Ron and Hermione, and tossed it over Harry when she noticed him shivering slightly. He smiled at her in thanks, and wrapped the blanket tightly around his shoulders.

"Harry," Dumbledore started, getting off his chair and coming over to face Harry, "We need to discuss what happened up at the Riddle House."

"Albus." Sirius said sharply, noticing the little color Harry had managed to get drain from his face.

"You know as well as I do that it'll help him, Sirius. It did last year." Dumbledore said, sitting down the coffee table in front of Harry.

"That was different," Harry whispered his protest, his voice sounding strained, "I was with Voldemort for more than a week, Dumbledore. Last time it was only for over an hour."

"Still, I believe it will help you more than you think. It'll be better of you get it off your chest." Dumbledore told him.

Harry closed his eyes, almost as if he were holding back a rude comment, which they guessed he was, and breathed out of his nose.

"What do you want to know?" Harry asked with a tremble in his voice.

"Everything, just start from the beginning." Dumbledore responded calmly.

Harry closed his eyes for a minute, gritting his teeth while images ran inside his head like a Muggle movie, refusing to leave his mind. Opening his eyes finally, he saw everyone was waiting with patience for him to start.  
As he began talking, he successfully kept his voice steady. He told them of how Voldemort threw him in the cell, being dragged to Voldemort by Death Eaters, everything Voldemort had asked him, the curses that had hit him, the torture, everything. When he started talking about the being put under the Cruciatus Curse however, he found he couldn't keep his voice steady, his voice cracked and sounded more hoarse than before, and couldn't hide it as he finished telling his story.

When he stopped talking, they all could see there were tears in his eyes, but he refused to let them fall. There was hardly any color in his face, his thin body was shaking, and his eyes were filled with pain and sadness. When he allowed himself to look around at everyone, he found they looked almost the same as him.  
Dumbledore was rubbing at his eyes, his mind trying to process everything that Harry had told him, and his face showed the anger he felt at the situation. Sirius sat at the other end of the couch by Harry's feet, letting his head fall into his hands as tears fell off his nose and onto his trousers. Remus was still kneeled on the ground by Harry, and had turned his head from anyone, so they could not see his reaction. Molly grasped Arthur's hand tightly in her own as tears ran rapidly down her face, and her other hand tried to wipe them away fast.

Arthur and Ron both had the same reaction; they had open mouths, and staring at the ground with disbelief written on their faces, horrified at what Harry was put through in a short amount of time. Hermione clutched Ron's arm, and was sobbing soundlessly, her body trembling. Her mind wanted to believe that what had happened didn't, but the evidence was right in front of her, and she knew she couldn't deny it. Madam Pomfrey looked horrified, and was trying to calm down her frantic heart as she searched through her bag once again.

"I need you to take a Blood Replenishing Potion once a day, along with a Soreness Relief. A Strengthening Solution at least twice a day. I'll send over some Bruise Remover for your face, arms, and legs, and I recommend a Lung Clearing Potion to help your lung heal. For now that's all I can do, and the Healer's from Mungos won't be necessary anymore, there isn't anything more we can do, I've used all the spells his body could handle along with the potions." She told him, grabbing the available potions out of her bag and setting them next to Harry.

She sat up from her chair and vanished it, and gently gave Harry a soft pat on his cheek as everyone else tried to get their emotions in check.

"If there is anything else you need from me, I'll be available at Hogwart's if you need me." She told him softly.

"Thanks." Harry managed to croak out, his voice sounding choked.

She smiled at him, and made her way to the Floo. As the fire turned green and Madam Pomfrey vanished, everyone sat in silence for a moment. Remus was the first to get up from his place on the floor, and reached over to grab the potion's by Harry.

"You should probably take these now." He said to Harry, who nodded.

He uncorked the bottle of Blood Replenishing Potion, and handed it to Harry. He raised the bottle to his lips, and quickly drained it. For the first time in his life, Harry had a potion that didn't taste half bad, it tasted like Muggle cough medicine. Setting the bottle on the table next to the other one sitting there, Harry gave a big yawn.

"After you take these, do you want a Dreamless Sleep Potion to take?" Sirius asked, his voice sounding as tired as Harry felt.

Nodding his head, Harry took the remaining Potion's Remus handed him, and rested his body comfortably under the blanket. Harry looked around the room again, and spotted his wand sitting on the table next to Ron and Hermione. Good, someone found it, he thought tiredly. He had thought before that it was lost it for good, and was happy to be wrong. Molly sat up from her spot by Arthur, and hurried into the kitchen to find the Potion Sirius had requested. Sirius got up from the couch and kneeled next to Harry, and reached out to rub his arm gently. Harry laid his head down on the arm of the couch, and looked at Sirius with drooped eyes.

"I'm sorry this happened to you." Sirius said in a choked voice.

"There was nothing you could do, Sirius. It's not your fault." Harry told him in a whisper.

Remus nodded in agreement beside him, but Sirius knew Moony blamed himself too. They would talk about it later. Remus ran his fingers through Harry's hair soothingly, ignoring the fact it was matted with blood and dirt. A few minutes later Molly returned, a steaming goblet full of Dreamless Sleep.

Harry reached his arm out to take it from her, and muttered a thank you. Molly beamed down at him as a tear escaped her eye, and she went back over to Arthur on the other couch. Harry took a sip from the goblet, and instantly could feel the effects of the potion hit him. Someone grabbed the goblet out of his hand before he could drop it.

"We hope you feel better." He heard two voices call out to him, one female and the other one male, as if they were far away.

Harry's head slumped back onto arm of the couch, and could feel Remus still running his finger through his hair as Sirius tucked in the blanket around him. Harry faintly smiled at their acts, both acting like a father to him. Harry finally gave in and closed his eyes, and with that he fell into a peaceful sleep for the first time in a while.

* * *

Harry could hear voices around him faintly, but couldn't make out what they saying. From what he could hear it wasn't a conversation between two people, more like a big group of people. Harry turned his head to face the back of the couch, and ignored the slight pain in his neck as he did so. But the voices came more into focus, and he accepted the fact he wasn't going to be able to fall back asleep. Harry closed his eyes and tried to listen in on the conversation in the hallway.

"-I think I might be able to get Fudge to take another look at the case, and have him look for-" A familiar voice said.

"No, Dumbledore. He'll get suspicious, why would you have him look at the case if you had agreed with thirteen years ago?" Sirius cut in.

"What I'm saying is that there were Auror's surrounding the Riddle House yesterday, they saw a handful of Death Eaters inside through the window. One of them could of seen Peter Pettigrew, and we could reopen the case as to why he is still alive, and a Death Eater at that." Dumbledore told him, and it sounded as if he were pacing.

"I don't know, I just don't want anything to go wrong and I end up back in Azkaban. It would kill Harry if I had to leave him, especially like this." Sirius said.

Harry thought over what they saying for a second. _Dumbledore wanted to convince Fudge that Sirius was innocent? That was impossible, Fudge thought they were all crazy, claiming that a dead man had come back to life. Fudge_ wasn't on their side, not without solid evidence that Voldemort was walking around again, unleashing terror.

"I understand Sirius, but wouldn't you like to be able to walk around a free man? To be able to go into Diagon Alley without a disguise, and not have to look at wanted posters of yourself?" Dumbledore asked him.

"Let me think about it, Dumbledore, and I'll tell you when I've made up my mind." Sirius replied.

Harry didn't have time to think over it after that, because he could hear footsteps coming into the room, and he opened his eyes and turned his head to see who it was. Sirius walked in, a small plate of breakfast in his hand, and a glass of pumpkin juice in his other. He set it down on the coffee table in between the two couches, and looked at Harry. Sirius looked shocked when he saw Harry's eyes were open, but recovered quickly.

"Morning pup." He said quietly, ruffling Harry's hair.

Harry smiled at the nickname, Sirius had started calling him pup at the end of the school year. Harry tried to push himself up into a sitting position, but his body refused to follow orders, and he slumped back against the couch.

"Are you okay?" Sirius asked with concern, watching him carefully.

"Yeah," Harry said quietly, "Just a little sore and weak, that's all."

Sirius nodded, and grabbed his wand out of his pocket. He waved it in a circular motion in his hand, doing a Non-Verbal spell. Harry watched as three vials flew in the air and rushed into the room, landing in Sirius' waiting hand. He uncorked all of them, and gave one of them to Harry.

"Ugh," Harry muttered, looking down at the potion, "This ones disgusting."

"I know," Sirius said with a small laugh, "But you need to take it."

Harry brought the vial to his lips, and quickly gulped it down. Sirius grabbed the ice cold glass of pumpkin juice off the table and gave it to Harry, who gratefully gulped some of it down.

"Thanks," Harry muttered, and hurriedly drained the remaining two potions down afterwards.

Harry set the vials down on the side table, and Sirius vanished them with a wave of his wand. Harry tried to hide the flinch that came when Sirius got his wand out, but Sirius had noticed. A frown on his face, Sirius knew why Harry reacted as such, and didn't like it one bit. Harry looked around the room quickly, looking for a quick distraction.

"Is that yours?" Harry asked, motioning to the plate of food.

"No," Sirius replied, "Molly made it for you."

Harry shook his head, his stomach heaving at the thought of eating food. Breathing out of his nose, Harry weakly sat up and took the blankets off of himself as he started to sweat.

"I _can't_, Sirius. Just the thought of eating makes me sick." Harry told him.

"Harry, you need to eat." Sirius told him, his voice stern.

"Fine, can you at least get me a waste basket if I do get sick?" Harry asked.

Sirius nodded, and summoned the waste basket on the other side of the room, and set it next to Harry. He then grabbed a pillow on the couch and set it on Harry's lap, and set the plate of food on top of it. Harry eyed the food for a moment, then picked up the smallest piece of toast with jelly on it, and bit some of it off. He chewed slowly, taking his time before he had to swallow it down, then did.

He looked as though he was about to be sick, but for Sirius' benefit he bit off another piece, and swallowed quickly this time. Sirius saw his face turn green the moment before he reached for the waste basket of his side, and vomited into it. Sirius rubbed his back as he did, ignoring the smell that came with it, and grabbed the glass of pumpkin juice once again for Harry when he finished.

Harry wiped his mouth off with his forearm, and quickly drained the glass of juice. Sirius vanished the contents in the basket, and continued to rub Harry's back, feeling through the thin shirt that Harry had broke into cold-sweats.

"I'm sorry." Sirius muttered, sitting down on the couch beside him.

"S'not your fault." Harry told him, pulling the blanket on himself again.

Sirius pulled Harry against him, and Harry rested his head on Sirius' shoulder. Sirius put a hand on Harry's forehead, and felt the thin sheet of sweat on it, and looked down to see Harry's face slightly flushed.

"Ron, Hermione, Ginny and the twins want to see you. Do you think that you'll be up to it?" Sirius asked him quietly.

"Yes." Harry replied softly.

Sirius got up, and tucked the blankets in around Harry, leaving his feet out. He reached out his hand and patted Harry on the head lightly, and looked him in the eye.

"Then I'll go get them for you." He told him.

Harry nodded his thanks, and watched as Sirius left the room. Harry leaned against the couch, and swallowed in disgust, he could still faintly taste vomit in his mouth. He started to think about Fred, George, and Ginny, how they would react when they saw when since he had been taken. Even though Harry hadn't seen how he looked yet, he knew he was a mess, there was only so much magic could do.

Thinking about them more, Harry remembered thinking about Ginny in his cell, and twisted his hands together nervously. _You have to stop thinking about her like that, she's Ron's little sister, she's the little sister of six older, protective brothers._ Harry gulped and shook his head, trying to get rid of the thought. He then could hear more than one pair of feet coming down the stairs, and knew Sirius had returned with the Weasley kids plus Hermione.

Harry watched the door, waiting for them to appear any second. Ron was the first one who came in, waving at Harry and giving him a smile, which was returned. Hermione walked in next, and hurried over to Harry, pulling him into a hug as Ron sat right next to him. Harry heard Ginny, Fred and George enter, but couldn't see them over Hermione's bushy hair.

Hermione placed her hands on the middle of his back, pulling him close to her as she softly cried. Harry tried hard not to wince and arch his back, but when she unconsciously applied more pressure, he did.

"I'm so sorry, Harry!" She gasped, realizing what she did.

"I'm fine." He reassured her, but the looked on her face told him she didn't believe a word he said.

Harry scooted over more, so Hermione could sit next to Ron, and the twins and Ginny could sit on the couch as well. But looking up, Harry saw they were still in the doorway, looking at him with shocked and concerned faces. Looking down at himself, Harry realized with a jolt he was still in the clothes he had on when they found him, and they could see the outline of all the blood, along with the cuts and wounds he had.

"I'm okay, really, Madam Pomfrey fixed me up last night, I'm much better now." Harry told them, trying to comfort them the best he could.

He saw Ginny's lower lip tremble, but she didn't cry. Harry looked up at her and patted the left side of him, motioning her to sit next to him. With weak legs, she carried herself over and sat down next to Harry, and carefully hugged him close. Being able to see over her shoulder, he saw Fred and George walk over as well, and sit on the floor in front of the couch, facing them. Harry hugged Ginny back weakly, the potions still had yet to kick in.

"I didn't think we would see you again." She whispered in his ear, but everyone heard, and Harry knew about everyone had the thought the same as her at one point.

"Me either." Harry replied truthfully.

Letting go of him, Ginny looked at Harry more carefully, and was surprised she didn't notice when she walked in.

"What happened to you glasses?" She asked with a frown.

Harry brought his hand up to the top of his nose, feeling for the frame of his glasses, but nothing was there. How could he of not noticed? He was the one who wore them! But Harry thought of about it for a second, and remembered thinking the blood loss was making his vision blurry, his glasses must of fell of during one of his sessions with Voldemort.

"I don't know, I don't even remember them coming off." He responded truthfully.

Ginny nodded, and leaned back more into the couch. Fred and George were on either side of Harry's feet, and they smiled up at him when he looked down at them.

"So," Harry started as awkward silence fell on them, "Who figured out the anagram?" He asked curiously.

"Dumbledore did. We all tried, but it was tricky, even for Hermione." Ron replied with a small grin on his face.

Harry laughed as Hermione shot Ron a mock glare, and reached across Ron to pat her on the shoulder in mock sympathy.

"I never thought I'd see the day I could outsmart you, Hermione."

Hermione smiled at him, glad that Harry was still his sarcastic self even after all that had happened to him. Ron shook his head at Harry, rolling his eyes with a grin on his face. Ginny looked down at the twins, who had a mischievous glint in their eye, and rolled her eyes at him. But suddenly George caught a glimpse at Harry's back, to where his shirt was pulled up slightly from stretching his arm over Ron, and revealed three white bandages with a large amount of dried blood under the cuts of his shirt.

"What the bloody hell happened?" He asked with a yelp.

Ginny and Fred snapped there eyes to where George was looking, and Ron and Hermione frowned as they realized what the three were looking at. Harry paled slightly, and pulled his arm away from Hermione's shoulder, and reached it back to feel the cuts on his shirt and could feel the bandage's under them, that went down to the end of his back and reached to about his shoulder blade.

"It's a long story." Harry whispered.

Harry was glad when Fred and George shook their head's, telling Harry silently that he didn't have to tell them now. Harry was reluctant enough last night to tell Dumbledore everything, and he just wanted time to relax and heal from everything that happened to him, then he would like to tell them. But now was not the time.

"Sirius thought you went mental when he read it." Fred said, changing the subject.

Harry laughed, ignoring the slight pain he felt from it. He nodded his head at Fred, and said with a smile.

"Of course he did."


	9. Chapter 9: He Knows

Harry yawned as he looked away from Remus, fighting the urge to close his tired eyes. For about a half hour he and Remus talked about how his fifth year at Hogwarts would be with OWL's, and Harry tried his hardest to stay awake. He heard footsteps coming down the hallway, and snapped his eyes to the doorway. Sirius and Ron walked in, talking quietly to one another as they walked towards Remus and Harry.

"What's going on?" Harry asked slowly as Ron sat on his free side, and Sirius sat on the other side of Remus.

"Well, I figured since its already past ten you should head up to go to bed, Poppy told us you needed all the sleep you could get." Sirius replied.

Harry's mind snapped to a problem he had been thinking about earlier when Remus mentioned he going back to his room, and a frown fell on his face.

"What is it, pup?" Sirius asked, studying his face.

"I'm fine down here, the couch is comfortable enough. I mean Ron probably likes to have that room upstairs all to himself, and I wouldn't be there to wake him up in the middle of the night-" Harry started, but paused when he realized he accidentally told them what he was worrying about.

That was all Harry could worry about at the moment; nightmare's. They were already bad, his parent's and Cedric in most of them, but now he was bound to have worse since Voldemort added something else for him to scream about at night. He knew they were going to get worse of course, how couldn't they after everything he was put through?

"Don't worry about that, Harry. Ron's moving into my room for a while and I'm going to stay in your room with you, so that I can be there if you need anything in the middle of the night." Sirius told him calmly.

In truth, Sirius and Remus discussed what they should do about Harry's nightmares, knowing that they couldn't keep him on Dreamless Sleep potion's forever, that his body would build up an immune to it if they tried. So the decided it would be best if Sirius was in the room with him, to calm Harry down after he woke up from his nightmares.

"Okay." Harry said with a nod, and Remus could hear some guilt etched in his voice.

"Don't feel guilty about it. It's completely out of your control, and we just want to be there to help you." He told Harry quietly.

Harry nodded again, this time his face slightly flushed. Ron and Sirius then got off the couch, and stood right in front of Harry. Ron reached his hand out, and Harry took it as he heaved himself out of his seat. Sirius placed an arm around his waist, to steady him and Harry gripped Ron's arm tightly when he swayed on the spot. The Strengthening Solution's and Blood Replenishing potion's only worked so fast, so it was taking time for Harry to build up his strength again.

Ron placed his free hand on the small of Harry's back, keeping him up straight and steering him towards the stairs. Harry had his mouth clamped shut tightly, his stomach feeling nauseous, and tried hard to keep his body moving and up straight. When they reached the stairs, Ron stayed on the step before them, and Harry kept a hold on his arm, and used it to help him pull himself onto the next step. Sirius stayed right by his side, letting Harry lean on him if necessary.

Close to the half way point of the stairs, Harry was already breathing fast and heavily from using up most of his strength, with sweat beading on his forehead. Ron and Sirius both noticed this, and stopped to let Harry take a deep breath. Ron looked at Sirius worriedly, his eyes pointing to Harry, and didn't know what to do. Sirius just gave him a small nod, silently telling him he would take care of it. Sirius placed his one hand on the small of Harry's back, while the other went under his knees, and carefully Sirius picked him up.

"Hey! What're doing?" Harry asked with a raised voice.

"Taking you upstairs." Sirius answered with a cheeky smile.

Sirius continued up the stairs with Harry, while Ron walked in front of them, looking back at Harry's blushing face and snickering. Harry gave him a rude gesture with his hand, and Sirius slapped the hand down while Ron continued to chuckle. Finally reaching the room Ron and Harry used to share, Sirius set Harry back on his feet, and led him into the room. Harry looked around the room, and noticed that Ron's stuff was taken out, and replaced with Sirius'. With help, Harry walked over to his bed, and let Sirius and Ron help him into a change of pajamas.

"If you need anything, call for one of Weasley's or Hermione, they should all be up here." Sirius told Harry, helping him into the bed.

"Where are you going?" Harry asked curiously.

"Order meeting." Sirius replied.

Harry knew instantly what it was about, and gave a reluctant nod. Sirius was surprised that Harry didn't argue, but looked more closely at him and noticed the tiredness in his face and eyes. Sirius patted his hair gently, and gave him a warm smile.

"I'll be up in while to check on you." He said quietly.

Harry gave small smile, and settled into the bed more, relaxing as he closed his eyes tiredly. He could hear Sirius leave the room, and knew Ron was still by the door, not knowing whether he should leave or not. But seeing that Harry was already half asleep, Ron gave small sigh.

"I know when I'm not wanted." He said in a mocking sad tone.

He started to walk down the hallway, and a lopsided grin grew on his face as he heard Harry laugh in the room behind him.

* * *

Sirius hurried down the stairs and into the dinning room as he heard chairs scraping against the floor as Order Member's sat down, and sat next to his favorite cousin.

"Wotcher Sirius," Tonks said as Remus sat on her other side.

"Hey, Tonks." He replied, watching the remaining Order Member's sit down.

"Happy to have your boy back?" She asked, noticing his improved mood.

"You have no idea." Sirius muttered, a grin on his face.

"I know both of you and Dumbledore were frantically looking for him," She said with a sideways glance at Remus, "Dumbledore had all us Auror Members searching everywhere."

"Dumbledore mentioned that." Sirius told her.

Before she could answer him Dumbledore cleared his throat, and all eyes were on him. Sirius noticed that Moody was next to him, and Kingsley Shaklebolt, Hestia Jones, and Elphias Doge were across from him. Looking around the table more carefully, he saw only Molly, Arthur, McGonagall, and Flitwick sitting there. Right away Sirius could tell this was a serious meeting, that only the most trusted Order Member's were allowed.

"Good afternoon, everyone. I know that this meeting was scheduled at the last minute, but I have very important news to share. First of all, for us do not know, Harry Potter was rescued last night from the Riddle House," Dumbledore started.

Sirius saw Hestia, Elphias, McGonagall, and Flitwick open their eyes in shock, and let out a relieved sigh. McGonagall clutched her chest tightly, and her cheeks were flushed slightly. Remus had to reach an arm out to help Flitwick from falling off his chair, while Hestia and Elphias's mouths dropped open. Tonks, Kingsley, Moody, Arthur, Molly, Remus and Sirius shared pleased look's, happy that they got Harry right from under Voldemort's nose.

"Now, onto matter's of the present. As you all know, we have some of our Member's guarding a Prophesy in the Department of Mysteries, one that has to do with Harry and Voldemort," Dumbledore spoke, stopping to let everyone take in what he was saying.

Sirius and Remus looked sharply at him, was he about to tell them the full contents of the Prophesy? McGonagall, Flitwick, Arthur and Molly stared at Dumbledore with wide eyes, hardly believing their ears. Tonk's, Kingsley, Moody, Hestia, and Elphias shared curious look's, wondering what Dumbledore was going to tell them.

"After recent event's, I believe that Harry, along with his friends, and all of you should know what exactly this Prophesy saids, so that we all know what we are fighting against, and what for."

"Dumbledore," McGonagall started, looking at the surprised faces that surrounded her, "Do you believe it would be wise to tell Potter everything that the Prophesy saids? He's just a boy."

"Yes, I believe he should know. I believe he should know why everything has happened to him, why exactly Voldemort has hunted him down since he was a baby, and why _he_ has suffered all these years." Dumbledore answered.

Everyone at the table was taking in what Dumbledore told them, realizing how dangerous the information they were going to be given was to have. Dumbledore watched them all pondering over everything, and waited for someone to point out the flaw he had made. After a few minutes of silence, it was Remus who spoke up.

"How do you know who to trust? Someone might possibly slip up." He said quietly.

"Ah, I see you have seen that particular flaw, but I have a solution. Everyone that hears the Prophesy will need to made a Unbreakable Vow with either myself, Sirius, or Remus to not speak a word of the Prophesy to anyone. And if anyone is uncomfortable with that, will not hear the Prophesy at all." Dumbledore responded.

Nod's rang throughout the room, and a few people pondering whether or not they would take the risk to hear the Prophesy and take the Unbreakable Vow that came with it, or to be unaware of it at all.

"I don't think I would be comfortable taking a Unbreakable Vow, I have a family that I need to take care of." Hestia said, and Elphias nodded with her.

"No problem, Hestia. When the time comes, however, I need you and Elphias to leave Headquarters." Dumbledore replied to her.

Hestia and Elphias nodded in agreement, while everyone else seated at the table became nervous as they thought about what they would hear in a few hours. Sirius was most worried at how Harry would react to it, how he would feel with what rested on his shoulders. Looking over, he saw Remus looked the same way he felt.

The Auror's looked determined, knowing how dangerous it was to know the information they were going to be given. Taking in the faces around him, Dumbledore moved onto the next subject, letting them all get prepared for the next few hours to come.

* * *

Harry rolled over in his sleep, sighing into his pillow. He had been asleep for a hour or two, his body taking in the strength it was receiving gratefully. Ron was on the bed beside his, reading _'Flying With The Cannon's'_ again. Ginny and Hermione were in their own room, talking about Merlin knows what, while the twins were in the sitting room on the same floor, discussing the joke shop that they wanted to build after they finished with Hogwarts.

Ron looked over at his best friend sleeping, and smiled. He had been scared to death when Voldemort had come and taken him, but he didn't really show how it did, because he had been too busy helping Hermione deal with it all. He had only confided in Fred and George after he had calmed Hermione down, telling them everything he felt.

The twin's were actually the ones that tried to soothe him, telling him that Sirius would do anything to get Harry back. Ron knew that of course, but they all knew what Voldemort wanted in exchange for Harry, and knew that it wasn't possible. Relief had spread through Ron when a rescue mission was made, and how easy it was to get Harry back. Ron flipped the page of his book, looking at the picture of the Cannon's Seeker reaching his fist out and wrapping it around the snitch, when Harry gave a small gasp and sat straight up in his bed.

Harry ignored the pain that shot up his back and muscles, his eyes roaming around the room in search of danger. All he saw was Ron on the bed next to him, looking at him with concern. Harry could feel himself shaking, and pondered over why he was. He didn't have any strange nightmare's, he didn't even know why he woke up in the first place.

"You alright, mate?" Ron asked, getting off the bed.

Harry nodded his head, pushing his bangs off of his forehead with a shaky hand. Ron made his way over to Harry and sat next to him on the side of the bed, his book lay forgotten on the other bed.

"Do you want me to go get Sirius or Remus?" Ron asked, not knowing what to do.

"Yeah." Harry breathed, trying calming down his breathing.

Ron nodded and got off the bed, and made his way for the room, glancing over his shoulder as he did. Laying back in the bed, Harry rested his head back on the pillow and stared up at the ceiling, his eyebrows furrowed together. Suddenly, it hit him. A terrible pain erupted on his scar, and Harry gave a small yelp as his hand flew straight to his scar, as if it would help. He snapped his eyes shut, and he clenched his teeth together to keep the scream building up in his throat silent.

"Sirius! Remus!" Harry heard Ron yell on the steps near the room, his eyes never leaving Harry.

_Harry looked around the room before him, but didn't remember opening his eyes. It didn't even bother him, because the room he was in was completely different from the one he had been in moments ago. Snape, Lucius Malfoy, and Peter Pettigrew were kneeling before him, only Snape keeping eye contact with him. _

_"Excuse me?" Harry snapped in a cold voice, leaning closer the three people in his chair._

_"The P-Potter boy e-escaped." Lucius said quietly, his eyes locked on the ground._

_Harry felt anger bubble inside him, and he grabbed his wand out of the pocket of his robes._

_"How the hell did he escape?! One of you were guarding his cell at all times! How could you disappoint me?!" Harry yelled, taking his turn in pointing his wand at each of them._

_"I-I was knocked out, My Lord. Someone from the Order must of came and rescued him." Peter said with a tremble in his voice._

_"That's impossible, you fool! You're even worse than Qurriel! None of them could of known where he is! All of you took an Unbreakable Vow!" Harry snapped at him._

_"I don't know what to tell you, My Lord." Peter squeaked._

_"Crucio!" Harry yelled, his wand pointed at Peter._

Harry felt his eyes snap open, and he looked wildly around the room, sweat covering his body and soaking his clothes. He saw Remus, Sirius, and Dumbledore standing around his bed, while Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley standing in the doorway worriedly.

"What happened, Harry?" Remus asked, his face pale and gleaming with sweat.

Sirius sat next to Harry on the bed, and ran his fingers through his hair soothingly, feeling him shake as he pushed himself up to sit.

"I think I'm going mad." Harry whispered, leaning into Sirius.

Sirius put his arms around Harry, while Remus reached out a hand and started rubbing the un-bandaged part of his back.

"Why do you think that?" Remus asked him, sitting on the other side of him.

"I-I was in Voldmort's mind, but I wasn't watching like I was standing next to him like I have before, but I was him." Harry replied in a trembling voice.

He heard the intake of breath around him, and Harry hid his face into Sirius' shirt. Dumbledore looked at Harry closely, and knew that the connection between him and Voldemort was getting stronger, and knew that know was the perfect time to tell him about the Prophesy.

"What did you see, Harry?" Sirius asked with worry.

"He knows I'm gone, he's really angry." Harry told him.

"I bet he is." Sirius muttered under his breath, hiding his smile.

In truth, Sirius hoped Voldemort was pissed, he hoped that Voldemort would take his anger out on his Death Eater's, especially Peter, but he didn't want Harry to see that. Sighing, he took Harry by the shoulders and made him face his way, and looked Harry in the eye.

"Don't worry about it, Harry. The connection is just a bit stronger now that Voldemort has returned, don't overthrown about it." He told Harry gently.

Harry didn't looked relieved at all, but nodded. Dumbledore gave Sirius and Remus a look, and they both knew what it meant. Now was the time to tell Harry. Sirius wanted to wait, at least until he was recovered, or better yet until Harry was older, not now. Not after everything Harry had just been through, he felt that Harry wouldn't take the information well because of how weak he was at the moment.

He knew Harry was to young to worry about Voldemort, to stress about when Voldemort would start looking for him again. It would be too much for a fifteen year old. Sirius and Remus were discussing this before Ron had called them both up, and they both agreed that Harry shouldn't know right now.

Looking over his shoulder, Sirius saw Molly and Arthur next to the other children, waiting for Dumbledore to ask for everyone to go downstairs to tell them about the Prophesy. They didn't know much about it, but they didn't like the idea of Harry and their children knowing about it.

"Harry," Dumbledore began, "Would you mind coming downstairs to discuss something?" He asked.

Sirius knew at that moment that they was no going back now, and let out a shaky breath. Remus closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, holding back the urge to ask Dumbledore to wait, already knowing what his answer would be. Molly and Arthur listened carefully, hoping that Dumbledore might of changed of his mind about what he wanted to tell Harry.

"Sure," Harry replied weakly, "What about?" He asked.

"Something that I feel you should know." Dumbledore told him.

Harry looked confused, his mind digging for something that might of been mentioned before, but nothing came to mind, his mind was still working slow from sleeping. Sirius and Remus got off the bed, and reluctantly helped Harry out of his bed. Harry leaned on Remus as he held onto Sirius' outstretched arm, walking slowly and weakly to the stairs. Dumbledore, Molly and Arthur followed behind them with Hermione and Ginny, Ron had left to go get the twins on his parent's request.

When they got to the stairs, Sirius picked Harry up again so they could get down the stairs quicker, ignoring the annoyed glare Harry gave him at the action. Remus tailed them, while the rest walked down the stairs with them. Sirius carried Harry all the way to the couch, and sat next to him. Remus sat on the couch across from them with Molly, Arthur, and Dumbledore, and saw Tonks, Kingsley, McGonagall, Flitwick, and Moody walking in the doorway.

At the end of the coffee table by Harry, Moody gave a small wave of his wand and conjured a couch for Tonks, Kingsley and himself to sit on, and someone else could if they wished. Hermione sat next to Sirius, and Ron sat next to her when he, Ginny and the twins walked in. Flitwick went over and sat next to Moody, while Arthur got out his wand and conjured a couch next to Ron so that McGonagall, Fred, George and Ginny could sit.

Everyone settled in a seat around the room, and all eyes locked on Dumbledore, waiting for him to begin. The adults knew what was coming, and braced themselves for what they were going to hear. Sirius and Remus knew more about the Prophesy than more of them because of what James and Lily told them all those years ago, but Dumbledore did not want them to know the rest for some unknown reason. The kid's on the other hand, did not know anything about what they were going to hear, and couldn't prepare for it.

"Harry," Dumbledore began, "I know that Voldemort asked you many question's during your time at the Riddle House, but one more out of the rest. The Prophesy."

Harry perked up at the mention of the Prophesy, and Sirius saw understanding enter his eyes. Harry knew what he was about to be told, and tried to hid the disbelief on his face. The other kids reacted with wide eyes and opened mouth's, surprised that they were allowed to hear what Dumbledore was about to say.

"I will tell you what exactly the Prophesy says, and I will answer your questions after I am done talking. But I must ask you, and everyone in the room, to keep quiet as I talk, to not interrupt me." Dumbledore said, eyeing everyone in the room.

Dumbledore waited until everyone in the room gave him a nod in agreement, then set his eyes on Harry, as if it was him he was just talking to. Taking in a deep breath, Dumbledore steadied his voice, and begin the story of the Prophesy.

* * *

Sorry for not updating yesterday, I had a lot going on and couldn't find the time to put the chapter up. Anyways, I hope everyone is enjoying the story, and leave a review!


	10. Chapter 10: The One With The Power

Harry felt numb, he couldn't believe what he had heard. Dumbledore had just told them all about the Prophesy Trelawney made in the Hogs Head fifteen years ago. Harry felt as though the breath was knocked out of him, he couldn't think straight, a millions thoughts were swirling inside his brain._ He shall have power the Dark Lord knows not, what the hell was that_?! _Neither can live while the other survives_, the Prophesy replayed over and over again in his mind, like a Muggle recorder that wouldn't shut up. Harry thought he might be sick, his breathing became shallow and faster as he started to slowly figured out what exactly the Prophesy meant. _Harry_ was the only that could defeat Voldemort, _he_ had the power to do it. And what power would that be? One that he never learned of, or that had never shown itself before?

Voldemort was strong, Harry knew that, and what did he himself have? A scar on his forehead that made him famous, only because his mother sacrificed herself so he could live. Harry closed his eyes and leaned his head into his waiting hands, his mind going over word for word of the Prophesy again. Sirius knew the Prophesy was along those lines, but hearing it himself was overwhelming, and knew Harry had to feel more than overwhelmed. Sirius looked at him and saw the wheel's turning in his head, figuring out the real meaning of the Prophesy. Remus watched him closely too, waiting with a stunned face for Harry or anyone to say anything.

Hermione and Ron watched Harry carefully too, waiting for some kind of reaction, other than the look of the shock that was set on his face. They both had known before that the Prophesy was the key to defeating Voldemort, but didn't know that it would reveal that it was Harry that was the key to defeat Voldemort. Of course they had known that Harry was apart of it somehow, why else would Voldemort be after Harry in the first place? He had asked Harry about the Prophesy multiple times, because he had known Harry was mentioned and thought Dumbledore had told him.

Ginny's brown eyes were wide in shock and surprise, her mouth open in disbelief. How could they tell him this now? After just escaping Voldemort, then to be told you have to defeat the darkest wizard of all time? Ginny, like almost everyone else in the room, kept her eyes on Harry, waiting for him to do something. Fred and George looked at each other with open mouths, they couldn't believe the bombshell Dumbledore just gave Harry, a weakened boy at the moment.

The Auror's kept their faces blank, not showing their reaction to the news. Inside they felt shock and surprise, their answer to ending the war sitting right in front of them, a fifteen year boy. What was this power Harry had, that the Prophesy mentioned? They couldn't help but think along those lines. Molly and Arthur also tried their best not to show how they felt, but they were seething. How could they tell him this now? Dumbledore should of waited until Harry was better, or better yet older! How could you tell a fifteen year old boy that his job was to kill the Dark Lord?

McGonagall clutched her chest, her heard beating fast under her hand. she reacted like everyone else in the room did, she couldn't believe Albus would tell Harry this now, she would of never imagined telling him this now. Flitwick tightly gripped his seat, afraid he would fall out of it. Dumbledore watched the many reactions in the room, and knew most of the adults would be angry at him for telling Harry this now, but he believed the boy should know his role in the war.

"How did Voldemort know the Prophesy was about me? It never mentioned a name!" Harry exclaimed, and everyone could hear a hint of desperation in his voice.

"Actually Harry, it could of meant a different boy that you know quite well." Dumbledore replied. "It spoke of two boys that were born at the end of July that year, both who had parents that fought against Voldemort, and hardly escaped from him three different times. The Prophesy could of been about you or Neville Longbottom."

"So, there's a possibility that it couldn't be me?" Harry asked uncertainly.

"There is not doubt in my mind that it is you." Dumbledore told him with sadness.

"But - you just said -?" Harry started in confusion, but Dumbledore held up a finger to silence him.

"But Voldemort had to mark him as his equal. And he chose you, Harry, not Neville. He gave you that scar, which proved that you are the one."

"Why didn't he wait? He could of picked wrong!" Harry said desperately.

"Notice this, Harry. He chose someone similar to himself, a half-blood. He saw you as dangerous and powerful, it didn't matter you had Muggleborn blood inside you. He gave you some of his own prized power's the night he tried to kill you, which have allowed you to escape from him five times so far, something that no one alive has ever achieved."

"But I don't have any power that he doesn't!" Harry said with a strangled voice, "I can't fight like he can, or kill anyone-"

"But you do, Harry. You have so much of the power that Voldemort doesn't understand, which he hates. Love." Dumbledore cut him off, explaining it quickly so Harry would understand.

The room sat in shock for a moment, stunned more than ever. _Love_? That was the power Harry had that Voldemort didn't? Harry was going to argue with Dumbledore about how stupid that sounded, but something else bothered him more than that.

"There was something at the end of the Prophecy that I don't quite understand..." Harry started, looking at Dumbledore for a answer as everyone else watched him closely in silence.

But Dumbledore didn't answer him, but waited for Harry to figure out what it said for himself. Seeing what Dumbledore wanted him to do, Harry thought over the words carefully in his head, pondering over what it might mean. With a tiny gasp, Harry realized what exactly they meant, and hoped that he was very wrong.

"So I have to kill him or he kills me... in the end? Harry asked in a whisper, despair filling him as he waited for Dumbledore to answer him.

"Yes." Dumbledore finally spoke, his voice grave.

Harry knew that would be Dumbledore's answer, but he still hoped that he would of been wrong. It was always him, everything happened to him. Harry closed his eyes and propped his arm on the edge of the couch so he could set his chin in his hand, his body trembling in shock. Sirius tried to put a reassuring hand of his shoulder, but Harry shrugged his hand off almost instantly. Even though Harry didn't want Neville to have the fate that he did, why didn't Voldemort wait until they were both older to see who was a bigger threat to him? Why guess and kill whatever baby he thought might be the boy the Prophesy talked about?

The room was silent, no one knowing what to say. Sirius, Remus, Molly, Arthur, Dumbledore, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and the twins all watched Harry carefully, watching the different emotion's play out on Harry's face cautiously.

"Why didn't you tell me before?" Harry asked after a few moments of silence.

"When you arrived to Hogwart's, I knew that in the future I would have to tell you about the Prophesy, but I didn't know when I would tell you. The, er, event's that have happened during your time at Hogwarts I believe you remember better than I. During most of these events you had stopped Voldemort from returning to power, delaying his return. Each time I was tempted to tell you, seeing you weak from your encounters. Only once did you ask me why Voldemort wanted you, but I refused to tell you."

"When you first asked me why Voldemort wanted you, I knew there was no way I could tell you then. I didn't think that you would be able to handle the truth at eleven, and Voldemort hadn't returned, so I saw no reason tell you yet. Each time after you returned from the danger you faced, I was so temped to tell you, but I couldn't bring myself to do it, I always saw that since Voldemort wasn't back to power, you didn't need to know. Do you see the mistake I made? I cared too much, I cared more about your happiness than your knowledge of the truth, more for your peace of mind, more than the lives that could be lost if the plan I made failed. I acted as anyone who loved would of, exactly what Voldemort expected."

Harry sat in stunned silence, his mind working out what Dumbledore just told him. The only reason Harry had no knowledge of anything was because Dumbledore cared too much about him? It was nice to know much Dumbledore for him, but Harry knew the truth was too important to hide because you cared to much about someone. The Auror's had seen in their short time at Headquarters that Dumbledore cared very much about Harry and his well being, and everyone else in the room gave a silent chuckle or smiled as they watched Harry's stunned reaction to Dumbledore's words.

"But then you came out of the maze last year in the third task of the Tri-Wizard Tournament, witnessing a friend of yours be killed, and narrowly escaping the same fate yourself... I didn't tell you, though. I saw how weak and scarred you were from the encounter and bring myself to scare you more than you already were. I knew I would have to soon with the return of Voldemort. Then during your summer holidays where you were supposed to be safe, Voldemort himself came and collected you, torturing you for information I held back from you. So today I decided to finally tell you the knowledge you have been ready for that I have kept from you so long, because you have recently proved that I can place this burden of knowledge upon you. The best reason why I have not told you is this; I've watched you struggle under more obstacles than anyone I have ever faced in my lifetime, and I couldn't care to add another one in your path, greater than any other."

Even though Harry thought he should of known about this sooner, he saw where Dumbledore was coming from, he would of done the same if he was in the same situation. He was suddenly relieved that he didn't know anything about the Prophesy when he was taken, he would be dead by know if he had known and accidentally slipped to Voldemort when the pain became too much to handle. Harry looked up and saw Dumbledore studying him carefully, almost wary of his reaction. Harry tried to offer him a small smile, but his scar suddenly gave a sharp pain, and Harry hissed through clenched teeth and clamped a hand over it, oblivious to everyone watching him.

"What is it?" Remus asked worriedly from his seat.

"I don't know, I think he's still angry." Harry replied with closed eyes.

Some confused looks rang throughout the room, but Dumbledore nodded and leaned in towards Harry, pushing his hand aside so he could take a look at the red, irritated looking scar. Harry didn't object, but he didn't like Dumbledore studying his scar like he was.

"Yes Harry, I believe you are right," Dumbledore said as he moved his hand away from the scar and sat back in his own seat, " I noticed that your scar gives you pains when Voldemort is close to you, even in disguise, and when he is feeling a very strong emotion."

Harry nodded, he knew this, he was the one to tell Dumbledore this. Everyone but Ron, Hermione, Remus, and Sirius looked at him in shock, they had no knowledge that Harry could do this.

"I believe that you and Voldemort share a connection, and it had gotten stronger with his return to a body and his full powers. I know last year you discussed with me a dream you had over the summer at your relatives house, and you didn't know what to make of it. I believe that you are able to look into Voldemorts mind, and he yours."

Harry felt his breath catch in his throat, Voldemort could enter his mind? Could he see what he was doing or thinking at this exact moment? Dumbledore had discussed this with Remus and Sirius, who were the only ones in the room that hadn't had a reaction to Dumbledore's words.

"But, I believe that Voldemort has no knowledge of this connection at the moment, and I believe this connection will get stronger because of Voldemort's return to a body."

Harry breathed in a sigh of relief, the thought of Voldemort of Voldemort reading his mind scared him to death. Harry heard Ron and Hermione breath out a sigh of relief too, and knew they only had because they knew how he would react to this, and they weren't the only ones in the room to do so.

"But, I also believe that when it inevitably happens, he will try to use you when he does become aware of the connection, and you might not be aware of what is happening. I would be caution of your thoughts, and talk to either your friends or contact someone at Headquarters if you have any sudden weird, or possibly violent thoughts."  
Harry felt his breath catch in his throat, shocked by what Dumbledore had told him, not for the first time that day, and felt his eyes widen as well. Voldemort could somehow find a way to control him, like a puppet with him pulling the strings. He have a small shiver at the thought, and felt repulsed.

Harry knew he was being watched by almost everyone in the room, and found himself not caring for once. He felt as though his brain might explode with everything that he was just told, and wanted nothing more than to yell out his frustration with himself, the bloody Prophesy, everything. Not caring how weak his body was, not caring how anyone else would react, Harry got off his spot on the couch and hurried out of the room before anyone could stop him.

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the late update, but I have feeling I might be posting late for a least the next month. My life is a little hectic at the moment, but I will try when I have free time to post a chapter. So, until next time!


	11. Chapter 11: Not Alone

Harry winced as he hurried up the stairs, the movement sending jolts of pain up his back and legs, but he ignored it and started to walk fast when he reached the landing. Grasping the doorknob in his hand, Harry twisted the bathroom door open and shut it loudly behind him. He walked over to the sink and grasp the sides of it, supporting himself as he looked into the mirror. His glasses were still gone, but Remus mentioned finding him a better pair with the same frame, but it didn't matter as he squinted to look at his face. Any cuts that Voldemort had given him on his face were red lines on his face, his bruises were still a sickeningly blue-black color, and his scar looked red and irritated as ever.

There were bags under his dull green eyes, and his hair was messy, still caked with blood and dirt. Feeling disgusted with himself as he eyes continued to roam over his injuries all over his body, Harry turned the sink on and cupped some water in his hands, pouring it into his face in attempt to clean any blood and dirt off of it. Harry suddenly realized that tears were running down his face, mingling with the water, and a shudder ran through him. He hadn't cried during his ordeal with Voldemort, he promised himself that he wouldn't, or when he had been rescued, but with everything that he just learned he felt as though it was too much, and allowed the tears to continue.

Harry placed his head in the sink and let the water run in his hair, watching the water change to a dull red as his blood mixed with it, running down the drain of the sink as he shivered from the cold water. He was not mad that Dumbledore had kept this from him, Harry knew he could handle this better now than he would of at eleven, twelve, and even thirteen, it would of been even worse if he had been told in his forth year, with everything that had happened. Now, it seemed in a strange way, was the perfect time to tell him.

With everything Voldemort had put him through this week, Harry deserved to know why it happened to him, and everything in his life for that matter. He was thinking on the same line as Dumbledore, and surprisingly agreed. By the way Remus, Sirius, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley looked during the story, they weren't comfortable with him knowing now. Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Fred and George also, Harry saw out of the corner of his eye them all watching him the whole entire time. The Auror's, and along with his teachers, didn't know what to expect, and were shocked with everything they learned.

Listening hard when he thought he heard something close by, Harry stopped what he was doing and turned the water off, and went to go grab a towel as he listened closely. He had been right, he could hear someone climbing the stairs at the moment, and could faintly hear Dumbledore speaking to someone or a group of people downstairs. Running the towel through his hair, Harry waited for the knock on the door that was surely about to come.

"Harry?" Sirius asked through the door, not bothering to knock, "Will you open the door for me?"

Harry sighed as he straightened himself out, pondering if he should listen to Sirius or not. Deciding his couldn't put off the inevitable, Harry reached his arm out and unlocked the door, and slowly opened it. Sirius looked up at him in surprise, he didn't really except Harry to be easy, and studied his godson closely. Nothing had changed much in the last few minutes, but his hair was clean now, free of dirt and blood, and he had tears running slowly down his pale face.

"I'm so sorry, Harry." Sirius said quietly, and walked into the room.

Harry felt Sirius pull him into a embrace, and stayed still for a moment, closing his eyes and surpassing a sob. After collecting himself, Harry pulled his arms free from his side and wrapped them under Sirius' shoulder, laying his head there and letting the tears run free on his shirt. Sirius moved to sit down on the floor, and pulled Harry gently with him, letting Harry relax against him. Sirius rubbed his back gently, making sure he didn't hit any of the cuts as he did.

"H-how am I support t-to do this!" Harry gasped out, his throat hurting from suppressed sobs.

Sirius rested his chin on the top of Harry's head, and frowned deeper as he thought over Harry's words. He shouldn't have to worry about this now, it's was too much for him.

"One thing is for sure, not alone." Sirius told him, his voice sounding strained.

Harry focused on his breathing and keeping his sobs down, not hearing the Weasley's and Hermione walking up the stairs to check on both him and Sirius as he did so. Harry shook his head as soon as the words come out of Sirius' mouth, and his frustration with the situation turned into anger in a snap.

"No," Harry said harshly through clenched teeth, "It's got to be me, and only me. You heard the Prophesy. I've got to do it alone." He kept his voice steady.

"The Prophesy didn't say you weren't allowed help," Sirius said sharply, "Only that you had to be the one to deliver the final blow."

"I don't even know how I could! I could never kill anyone- how would even be able to with love?" Harry questioned.

"Harry, you misinterpreted it. It's that after everything that you have gone through, after losing so much at a young age, it's shocking how much you can love and care for people. Others would keep to themselves, shut people out. You don't as much as we had expected, you care for people so much that you would risk your life for them, which you have already shown. That's exactly what the Prophesy meant, you would risk your own life to defend the one's that you love. That's how you would defeat him, defending thoughs you love."

Harry closed his eyes and hugged his knees to his chest, ignoring the pain as usual, and rested his chin in his knee. What Sirius said made since, he could see himself killing someone to defend someone that he loved. But Voldemort was much to strong, to powerful, for someone like Harry to be defeated by. The thought of a fifteen year old student killing the Dark Lord was laughable.

"I know what you mean, Sirius. But just because I would defend you or anyone else in this house doesn't mean that I would win, I would probably just die trying." Harry told him, his voice hoarse.

"You forgot one small detail- Voldemort marked you as his equal. He gave you some of his powers the night he tried to kill you -your Parsaltongue is enough evidence- and you can use it against him. From the way I heard Dumbledore speak about your magic, how much I've seen for myself, is extraordinary. Never has a thirteen year old been able to produce a Patronus, a eight year old shouldn't be able to Apparate on top of a school roof without a wand. You are very powerful, Harry. It just takes the sense of danger, or fear for others lives, to use it." Sirius said quietly.

Harry kept quiet, his mind going over what exactly Sirius just said. Harry already knew that he had some of Voldemort's powers, Dumbledore told him at the end of his second year, explaining to Harry why he could speak Parsaltongue. The next part of what Sirius said, even Harry knew he was right. Hermione, the brightest witch of there age, couldn't even produce a Patronus, but she was still practicing. And his accidental magic from when he was younger, only Dumbledore had known about that, Harry figured he must of explained it to Remus and Sirius when they discussed his magic over the summer.

Harry thought over the next bit Sirius said, about what it took to bring out his powerful magic. With the Dementor's, he was able to produce a Patronus not because he already knew he could do it, but because Sirius, Hermione and himself were in danger of something worse than death, and he was trying to protect them from that. In the graveyard, he could keep the beam of his spell at Voldemort for as long as did because his life was in danger, and he knew what Voldemort would do to the Wizarding World the second he dropped dead. But then something else popped into his head that made him question his power.

"What about when I was taken? I knew that my life was in danger, and everyone's if I slipped any information, why couldn't my magic protect me then if it has before without a wand?" Harry asked, frustration building inside of him.

"Well, think of it this way, why didn't you tell Voldemort the answers he wanted?" Sirius questioned.

"Because I didn't know most of the answers to them, and because I knew he wanted some answers desperately." Harry replied cautiously.

"And?" Sirius pressed on.

"And that he wouldn't kill me until he had those answers." Harry finished.

"Exactly, you weren't in danger of being killed, and your magic knew that, so it didn't come out to protect you." Sirius told him.

"Yes," Harry agreed, "But my magic had protected me before from getting hurt, kept me from harms way." Harry told him, remembering his childhood with Dudley.

"You have to look at it this way, before your magic was protecting you from physical assaults, Muggle fighting. But Voldemort used his wand against you, and he is a very powerful wizard. Your body was weak and tired, and your magic was no match to fight wandlessly like that, it was saving up energy for when Voldemort finally tried to kill you."

It all clicked into place inside Harry's head, it all finally made sense. Harry nodded his head to Sirius, who pulled Harry against his chest gently, allowing Harry to rest his head. Harry felt overwhelmed by everything that he had just been told, by what he just learned about himself and his fate, to the point of exhaustion. He wanted nothing more than to be under the covers in his bed, resting as he slept with the help of a Dreamless Sleep potion. Suddenly Sirius gave a small jolt, and Harry looked up to see what was wrong. Sirius looked surprised, as if he suddenly remembered something, and started to dig into the pocket of his robes.

"What wrong?" Harry asked tiredly.

Sirius didn't answer at first, his hand frantically searching his pocket for something, than with a look a triumph, grabbing two things out of his pocket and set them on the floor by his side. Harry stretched his neck to see, and saw that a vial of some sort of potion laying there next to a small bottle of what looked like cream.

"Madam Pomfrey sent this over after you left. This," He said, pointing to the vial, "Is for your lung, to help clear it or something. The cream is for your bruises, it'll make them go away faster."

Sirius handed Harry the vial, and opened the small bottle of cream as Harry drained the vial with a look of disgust. Sirius put his hand on Harry's chin and turned his head to the side, and put some cream on his free hand. Rubbing gently, Sirius applied the cream to the bruises on his face, and the ones he could see on Harry's arms, and a few on his neck. After he was done, Sirius put the cap back on the bottle, and Harry had the fight to keep himself from rubbing at the cream on his skin. Silence grew between them, but it was comfortable, not at all awkward. Harry put a hand over his mouth to stifle a yawn, a heard the floor outside in the hallway groan from the weight on it, and he rolled his eyes with a slight smile.

"I know your all out there." Harry said loudly, glancing over at Sirius, who was staring out the doorway.

Outside the door, a squeak could be heard, along with a few gasps of shock and a few groans of disappointment.

"I told you not to move, you git!" One of the twins said furiously out in the hall.

Harry smiled as Sirius laughed, and they waited sitting on the floor of the bathroom as the Weasleys walked into sight slowly. Harry looked up and wiped the drying tears from his cheeks, blushing slightly at the reminder of his lose of control over his emotions.

"Why did it take you so long to come up here?" Sirius asked them, remembering he heard them in the hall during the middle of his and Harry's conversation.

"Dumbledore made us make a Unbreakable Vow with him, to keep the information safe." Hermione replied, her voice slow and careful.

"He did what?" Harry said, shock written on his face.

"Now Harry, you know that the information was very valuable, we have to keep it safe at all cost-" Sirius started.

"I don't care," Harry cut in, "This information was mostly about me, my fate and how to end it. He had no right to do that-!" Harry spoke, his voice fast and sharp.

"It was information to end the war, Harry. He had every right to keep it safe, no matter what. Now is not the time to discuss it, your about to pass out from exhaustion at any second. Time for bed." Sirius cut in, his voice as sharp as Harry's.

"I've been out long enough." Harry snapped, huffing angrily.

Sirius closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to keep his patience.

"Molly, can you please bring up at vial of Dreamless Sleep?" Sirius asked, standing up and holding a hand out to Harry.

Molly nodded, and hurried down the stairs to get what Sirius asked for. Harry looked at the hand Sirius extended for him hesitantly, then finally grasped it as much a he could and pulled himself off the floor, and swayed slightly from the sudden movement.

"Can you guys take Harry to his room? I have to speak with Remus and Dumbledore for a moment." Sirius asked the remainder.

Ron and George hurried over to Harry's side and placed a arm on him, allowing Sirius to leave. Harry didn't have any fight left in him, so leaned against them gratefully as they started walking to the room Harry was sleeping in. Arthur left with Sirius, leaving all the Weasley children plus Hermione to tend to Harry. Reaching Harry's door, Ginny walked in front of them to open the door, and moved to the side as Ron and George hauled Harry in, and rubbed her hand gently on Harry's shoulder as he passed her. Harry felt his stomach give a funny jolt at the gesture, and suppressed a smile. Hermione went over to his bed and pulled the covers back, and straightened out his pillows quickly.

"Thanks." Harry muttered, sitting down the bed.

Hermione smiled at him in return, and ruffled his hair, earning a mock scowl as Harry tried in vain to flatten his hair. Ginny moved the covers so Harry could slide under them, and Fred pushed him lightly on the shoulder so he would lay down. After a moment a silence, the door groaned as it was pushed opened, and Mrs. Weasley walked in with a small vial steaming in her hands. Harry fought a scowl as she came over and handled him the vial, wanting nothing more than to never see a potion again, but took it from her hand and drained it empty.

He felt the effects faster than ever, maybe because he was tired already he did not know, and could vaguely feel Mrs. Weasley pat his hair affectionately as his eyes started to close, his lips slightly parted as he fell into a deep sleep.


	12. Chapter 12: The Beetle Is Back

Sirius found himself hurrying down the stairs again, he had felt his mirror in his pocket heat up as he was talking to Harry, and knew Remus would only try to call him on it if it was an emergency. He almost ran into Kreacher on his way to the kitchen and he sent him to his cupboard after hearing him mutter how Sirius 'dishonored the Noble House of Black' with his usual rubbish. Walking into the kitchen, Sirius could immediately tell something was off. Remus, Kingsley, Arthur, and Tonk's were huddled in a group by the table, looking and muttering over a piece of parchment Kingsley was holding.

"What it is? Where're Dumbledore and the teachers?" Sirius asked, slowly walking over to them.

"They had to leave, staff meeting at Hogwarts. And take a look for yourself." Tonk's answered, gesturing for him to come over.

Sirius stopped next to Remus and Arthur, and peeked over their shoulders to see what they were reading. It was the 'Evening Prophet', and on the front cover was a picture of Harry before the third task, and in bold letters the title read _'THE BOY WHO WAS KIDNAPPED?'_ Sirius hissed a breath out through clenched teeth when he read who wrote it.

"Rita Skeeter." He snapped angrily.

Taking the paper from Kingsley, Sirius sat down on an empty chair, set the paper on the table before him and began to read. Sirius had to bite his tongue hard and keep his teeth clenched so he wouldn't start yelling in anger.

Rita Skeeter literally made it sound as though Dumbledore had done nothing to help get Harry back, and that Harry's friends, along with Ministry Aurors, had to find and saved Harry. She also implied that it was the work of angry Death Eaters, but asked why they would capture Harry in the first place. Sirius didn't know how Rita could have known about this story anyway, he seriously doubted Fudge would be going out and telling Daily Prophet reporters anything about the kidnapping, he would be too afraid how it would affect his power.

Sirius was positive that she could in no way spy on them at Grimmauld Place, the house had almost as many protective spells as Hogwarts along with darker ones, it wasn't possible. Still, he couldn't stop the shiver running down his spine or the feeling of unease settling in his stomach. If she, by any means, knew he was here he could be sent back to Azkaban in an instant. Shaking his head, he heard Remus, Tonk's, Kingsley and Arthur sit down next to him, they looked right at him.

"It's rubbish, Sirius." Remus said, taking the paper away and folding it.

"I know, but it worries me how she knows Harry was taken in the first place. I mean, we didn't go out telling people. Only Fudge and a couple of Aurors who are in the Order know about it." Sirius told them.

Kingsley was about to say something when the door opened, and Molly, along with Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and the twins walked in, Kingsley shut his mouth.

"Is everything alright?" Arthur asked the kids as they sat down at the table with them.

"Yeah, Harry's in a deep sleep upstairs. Little bugger didn't even wake up when Ron fell down the stairs." Fred replied, smiling over at his younger brother, who was scowling back at him as he rubbed his right arm.

"Good, I was worried he'd find enough strength to march down here and strangle Dumbledore or something." Sirius said with a slight smile on his face.

"What happened?" Kingsley asked curiously, looking from Sirius to the kids on the other side of the table, ignoring the banging of pots from the other side of the room where Molly was making dinner.

"Oh, Harry wasn't on board with the whole Unbreakable Vow thing. Going on 'bout how the information was about him, and he had the right to decide if he wanted us to make the Vow or not. Being a noble prat as always." Ron replied, Hermione lightly smacked his arm.

"Just like James." Remus said with a sigh, smiling over at Sirius, who nodded back at him with a wink.

"What is that?" Hermione suddenly asked, gesturing to the folded Evening Prophet in front of Remus.

"Just the paper Hermione, I don't think you'll want to read tha-" Arthur said, but Hermione had already reached across the table and was unfolding it.

Ron and George leaned in closer to her so they could read the paper, while Ginny and Fred stood up from their seats and read it over Hermione's shoulder. The adults watched as Hermione's eyes blazed with anger, while the boys and Ginny started exclaiming that she had no business writing about Harry.

"_That bitch_!" Hermione cursed under her breath, but everyone at the table heard it.

Remus choked on his Butterbeer and spilled some of it on his shirt, looking as shocked as Kingsley and Arthur did. Sirius bit his lip to suppress his laughter. He turned his face away from everyone and started to shake with mirth. Ginny and Tonk's shook their heads with smiles on their faces while the boys around her stared at her with open mouths. Hermione was never one to swear.

"She broke the deal we made!" She continued, throwing the paper away from herself.

"What do you mean?" Tonk's asked, her eyebrows creased together.

"I found out a very interesting secret of her's last year, and promised not to tell anyone if she didn't write another story on Harry ever again. And now I get the satisfaction of telling everyone what she is!" Despite the anger in her eyes, Hermione had an evil smirk on her face, one that sent chills down Ron, Fred, and George's backs.

Sirius could smell blackmail. He smiled at Remus with a trace of mischief in his eyes and leaned closer to Hermione. Kingsley and Arthur shared a look, but shrugged and looked back at Hermione.

"What? What is it?" Sirius asked eagerly.

"Rita Skeeter is an unregistered Animagus." Hermione announced dramatically.

Sirius, Fred, and George all looked over at Kingsley and Tonk's with evil smirks on their faces. The Aurors themselves looked shocked. Remus looked thoughtful, looking for any evidence to support what Hermione told him. Ginny and Ron smiled, both knowing that Hermione had probably just gotten the old hag into a lot of trouble with the Ministry.

"What is she?" Arthur asked her.

"A beetle." Hermione replied, leaning back in her chair.

"So, Kingsley," Sirius started, turning in his chair to face the Auror and trying to keep a straight face, "What are the charges of being a unregistered Animagus?"

"A fine of one thousand gallons and two months in Azkaban." Kingsley answered him, rolling his eyes at Sirius.

"She gets to go to Azkaban?" Ginny asked, with a hint of joy in her voice.

"Yes, but since her crime isn't as bad as others, her cell won't have as many Dementors." Kingsley replied, seeing the look of shock on Hermione's face.

"Don't worry about it, Hermione. She deserves it, harassing children and selling fake stories to the public." Arthur told her in a reassuring voice as Sirius nodded along.

"And what may I ask will you do when you are proved innocent, Sirius? Do I have to remind you that you're also an unregistered Animagus?" Remus asked in an amused tone.

"Hey, I'll register as soon as I'm innocent. It won't cost me a thing." Sirius answered, unconcerned.

"But you've been one for over twenty years." Remus said with a laugh.

"Minor detail." Sirius replied with a wave of his hand.

Everyone at the table laughed, and Molly came over to start setting plates out. Arthur and Ginny got up to help her set the table. Then they sat down, and all of them explained what they had learned to Molly. She looked shocked at first, but then patted Hermione on the hand and thanked her, much to the amusement of the twins and Sirius. As soon as everyone was finished, Molly sent the plates to the sink with a flick of her wand, and Kingsley left for his own house, promising to report Rita to the Ministry first thing tomorrow. The kids started making their way to their rooms, while the adults went into the living room.

"Don't forget that we'll be cleaning up the house more tomorrow!" Molly shouted after them, ignoring the moans of annoyance she got back.

* * *

Harry reluctantly opened his eyes, letting out a small groan as he rolled onto his back, he felt a small sting run along the cuts there with the sudden movement, and reached a hand out for the nightstand next to him. There he found a pair of glasses, he put them on his face and, watching the room come into focus, slowly sat up. It took him a minute to realize that he left his glasses back at the Riddle House. He took the glasses off his face and looked at them closely. The frame was slightly smaller than his old ones, but he could see better out of these. Remus must have been able to find him new ones and left them there for him.

Hearing a snore puncture the silence, Harry turned his head and looked over at the bed next to his, there, he found Sirius lying on his stomach with his head turned in Harry's direction. His mouth was open and his hands were folded under the pillow beneath his head. It took Harry everything he had not to laugh out loud and, carefully untangling himself from the sheets on his bed, he stood up. Harry stretched his arms out slowly, making sure he didn't aggravate any of his injuries, and slowly made his way out of the room, shutting the door quietly behind him. Harry walked across the hall and into the bathroom, making sure no one was there before walking in.

Going over to the sink he turned the faucet on and looked into the mirror. The cream Madam Pomfrey had sent over worked, the bruises on his face were fading, they were now a hardly there faded blue. His green eyes had gained back some of the light they always had in them, standing out against his pale skin. Other than that his lips and the healed cuts on his face were the only things that had colour. The shock of night last still lingered, but now Harry had a better hold of his emotions, and he understood better. He knew that he shouldn't be mad at Dumbledore for forcing them all to make an Unbreakable Vow to keep the information secret. Deep down he knew it was for the best.

Harry splashed water on his face, then wiped it off with a towel, and reached for the drawer under the counter. He grabbed the pile of clothes he'd left there in case he ever forgot to bring them with him when he took a shower and changed quickly. Harry walked out of the bathroom and climbed down the stairs carefully. He walked into the living room and found Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Hermione, Ginny, and Remus sitting there.

"Morning." He announced, and went over to sit by Ginny and Hermione on the couch.

"It's good to see you moving around dear, but don't you think it's a bit too soon?" Mrs. Weasley said, looking at him with concern.

"Don't worry, I'm fine." Harry assured her, knowing his appearance said otherwise.

Harry leaned back against the couch, and tried to ignore the fact that most eyes in the room were on him. He looked down at his hands crossed on his stomach.

"What time is it?" He asked, breaking the sudden silence in the room.

"A little after nine." Ginny answered him, a smile on her face.

"Ah, that explains why Sirius and your brothers aren't up." Harry said with a laugh.

Everyone gave a small laugh, and Mrs. Weasley went into the kitchen to grab a pot of tea and probably some of the potions Harry needed to take. Sure enough, as soon as she walked in Harry could see steam coming from a few vials in her hand. He reluctantly took the potions, draining the cup of tea she gave him to try to get the horrible taste out of his mouth.

"Do you want any breakfast Harry? We just finished eating." Remus asked, starting to stand up.

"No, I'm fine, Remus." Harry replied, not thinking he could stomach anything but the potions at the moment.  
"Harry, you need to eat." Remus said sternly.

"I know, but what's the point if I just end up throwing it back up?" Harry replied, rolling his eyes.

"Just a piece of toast, that's all I'm asking." Remus compromised.

"Fine." Harry replied with a sigh. With a smile Remus left the room to fetch Harry some food.

Ron walked into the room a moment later, yawning as he stretched his arms over his head with his belt unbuckled on his trousers. As Harry, Ginny, and Hermione laughed at him Mr. Weasley informed Ron of his little problem and, blushing, Ron buckled his belt.

"It's too early in the morning to think straight, mate." He said as he sat down next to Harry.

But we get up earlier than this at Hogwarts." Harry told him, a grin on his face.

"Yeah, but it's the summer holidays right now." Ron explained.

"Then go back to bed." Harry said, rolling his eyes.

Just then Remus walked back in the room with Sirius, who hair was sticking up in a similar fashion to Harry's and was nursing a mug of coffee in his hand. Remus walked over to Harry and handed him two pieces of buttered toast, and went to sit back down in his seat. Harry handed Ron one of his pieces of toast, and started to nibble at the other.

"Thanks mate, and I would, but mum wants us to finish cleaning this room today." Ron told him, taking a bite out of his toast.

"Fun." Harry muttered.

He felt his stomach churn uncomfortably from the toast and it tasted like buttered wood, but continued to eat regardless. Finally the twins came down, yawning and stretching their arms out. Fred had his shirt on inside out, but George thought it would be best for him to figure that out on his own. They sat down on opposite arms of the sofa, Fred flinging his arm around Hermione's shoulders while George did the same to Ron, grinning as they all started chatting. Mrs. Weasley pulled the waste basket onto the living room table, along with cleaning supplies and the pot of tea with mugs around it.

"All right you lot," She started, catching their attention, " Now I know we've already worked in this room, but we need to get finished. If you find anything that has the Black family crest, Sirius wants you to throw it away. If it doesn't, you come to one of us and ask. Is that clear?"

Fred, George, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione nodded and started standing up, crossing the room and going through dusty bookshelves and the cushions on the empty chairs. Mrs. Weasley had her wand pointed to the ground, vanishing any dust bunnies or dirt she could see. Sirius and Remus had picked up _'Mrs. Skower's All Purpose Magical Mess Remover'_ and were spraying it on some of the stains on the curtains. Mr. Weasley was cleaning the window with his wand.

Harry sat on the couch hesitantly for a moment, not knowing what he should do. Finally, he shrugged and heaved himself up, holding onto the arm of the couch to steady himself as he walked over to the side table. Just as Harry went to open the drawer in it Mrs. Weasley looked over at him, and her eyes widened in alarm on seeing him up off the couch.

"Harry dear, you shouldn't be moving around a lot, go and sit back on the couch, we can manage without you." She said, and started to move towards him to help him sit back down.

"Mrs. Weasley, I'm fine. I don't want to sit around and watch all day, I want to help. Plus, I really want to stretch out my legs." He said, smiling at her.

Mrs. Weasley stood there for a moment, a slight frown on her face as she studied him, having an internal debate.

"Fine, I guess we could use your help," She said after a moment, "But I want you close to something to hold on to, in case you loose your balance."

Harry nodded, and opened the drawer his hand was in front of. Everything inside it was covered in dust, and Harry coughed as he inhaled a puff of it. Inside he found some old magazines, which were crinkled and the colour faded, a couple of broken quills, and oddly enough a few pieces of jewellery. After throwing away the magazines and quills, Harry grabbed the pieces of jewellery and sorted them out. He studied each one closely. Dangling from his fingers were four necklaces, two bearing the Black family crest, and one that had a skull. The last one was a heavy locket, gold with an ornate letter S, which was inlaid with many small, green stones.

Keeping the gold locket dangling from his fingers, Harry threw the two Black family ones away first then, as an after thought, threw away the one with the skull. It, in some way, oddly reminded him of Voldemort. Harry sat on the arm of the couch and brought the locket close to his face, studying it.

"What have you got there, Harry?" Hermione asked, catching a few peoples attention.

"I don't know, some locket. It doesn't have the Black family crest on it, though, just a large S." Harry replied, not taking his eyes off the locket.

Sirius moved a bit closer to take a look at it, curiosity written all over his face, while everyone continued to look over. Harry pondered over whether or not he should touch it, he knew that some objects they found before were cursed, but the locket looked somehow innocent. His curiosity won over, and Harry placed the locket in his hand.

* * *

A/N: I know short chapter, sorry! I'll try to have the next one up tomorrow or the next day, but I won't make any promises.


	13. Chapter 13: Lost and Found

It took everything Harry had not to recoil and drop the locket. The moment it touched the base of his palm he felt a small shock run up his whole arm, only stopping at his shoulder, making him flinch noticeably. The metal of the locket was freezing cold against his warm hand, and Harry felt goosebumps rise on his skin.

"What's wrong?" Sirius asked worriedly, watching Harry closely.

Harry looked up and saw everyone was either looking curiously at him or the locket he held in his hand, not understanding what was going on. Harry looked back down at the locket and turned it in his hand. He felt a shudder run down his spine as he thought he felt it pulsing, like it had a heartbeat of its own.

"The locket, it's like it's alive." Harry muttered with surprise in his voice, pressing his fingers harder against the back of the necklace.

Sirius felt his eyes widen at his godson's words, he and the rest of the adults hurried over to Harry and looked down at the locket, searching for any visible sign of dark magic.

"Give it to me." Sirius said, holding his hand out.

Harry obliged and gave it to him, the feeling of unease that had raced through him faded as soon as the locket wasn't touching his skin anymore. Sirius held it tightly in his hand, bringing the face of the locket close to his own as his eyes roamed over it.

"Why do you think it's alive?" Sirius finally asked, looking at Harry with confusion.

"Can't you feel that... that ticking? It's like it has it's own heart." Harry explained, glancing up at Sirius.

"No, I can't feel anything. Are you sure you weren't just imagining it?" Sirius looked at the other adults with concern written on his face, wondering why Harry thought what he did.

Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Fred, and George made their way over, curious about what was going on, and sat on the couch Harry was perched on. Harry's face was one of confusion, but inside he couldn't help but feel angry. _Why didn't Sirius believe him? Did he think that he was faking it?_ Remus held out his hand to Sirius, and he dropped the locket into his friends hand, looking up at him briefly with creased eyebrows.

"Harry, I don't feel anything." Remus spoke, looking from the locket to Harry.

Harry studied Remus as he held the locket, and felt his own eyebrows crease together. _What was happening?_ When Remus touched the locket he didn't recoil, no goosebumps raised on his skin, he didn't even shudder from the unusually cold metal. Harry looked around himself and saw everyone looked as confused as he felt.

"I swear I felt something. It shocked me when I held it, didn't you feel it? Can't you feel how cold it is, or how it's ticking?" Harry felt incredibly stupid, asking these questions, but it didn't stop him.

"No." Remus and Sirius said at the same time, looking at Harry as if he had grown a second head.

Harry held his hand out in front of Remus, motioning with his fingers for Remus to give him the locket. With a worried look that spread throughout the room, Remus slowly put the locket onto Harry's palm. Everyone watched in amazement as Harry's whole arm shuddered when the locket touched his skin. They noticed Harry flinch and goosebumps rise on his skin, sharing looks of worry and surprise. Harry hooked a finger around the chain and let the locket dangle from his fingers, not wanting to touch it anymore.

"What's going on? Why am I the only one affected by it?" Harry asked, his voice sounding worried.

"Put the locket down on the table, Harry." Mrs. Weasley said, her eyes looking at the piece of jewellery fearfully.

Harry did as he was told and set the locket down on the table in front of him. He watched as the adults surrounded the table and started to examine it carefully. Interested, the kids behind them peeked over their shoulders to look down at it. Harry sat still on the arm of the chair, his mouth parted as he thought over it. He had never in his life seen that locket, yet he was the only one it would react too. None of it made any sense to him.

"Someone contact Albus, I want him to take a look at this." Remus said.

Harry watched Mr. Weasley walk away from the table and go over to the fireplace behind Harry's couch, grabbing Floo Powder off the mantle. Lighting the fire, he threw the powder onto the flames, and walked in as he shouted his destination. With a whirl of green Mr. Weasley vanished. Harry turned his head again and looked at the group in front of him, staring thoughtfully down at the locket.

"I think I've read about this before, Padfoot." Remus said, using his wand to bring the locket closer to himself.

"Why would this old thing be in a book, Moony?" Sirius asked, his tone was light but Harry could hear curiosity in his voice.

"I don't know but I think it has something to do with Slytherin, it would make sense seeing as there's a large, green S on it." Remus replied, his hand on his chin.

"Maybe that's why it reacted to Harry? Maybe it recognizes him as a Parsalmouth?" Hermione added, in a small voice.

"That would make sense, it could be a Slytherin heirloom." Ginny agreed.

"But what the bloody hell is it doing in my mothers house?" Sirius questioned.

"None of us know, Sirius. This house is full of all sorts of dark objects, someone in your family probably bought it off a dark wizard or something along those lines anyway." Mrs. Weasley said, keeping a short distance from the locket.

Sirius sighed and rubbed his temple, frustrated and confused. Everyone sat in silence, not knowing what to say, just as confused as the next person. Remus walked over to Harry and sat down on the arm of the couch with him. He put an arm around Harry's shoulders and Harry let his body lean against Remus gratefully. The back of the couch had been poking into his own painfully and he didn't want to waste the energy he had gained trying to keep himself sitting up. George got up and offered his spot on the couch to his mother, who thanked him with a smile on her face and sat down next to the rest of her children, while George sat on the other arm of the couch. The flames in the fireplace turned green as it rose suddenly, and Mr. Weasley came tumbling out, catching his balance at the last second.

"Albus is right behind me." He told everyone, wiping soot off his clothes.

Mr. Weasley moved out of the way, taking off his glasses and cleaning them the Muggle way, as Dumbledore stepped out of the fireplace. Dumbledore didn't say anything at first, but used his wand to vanish any soot that clung to his robes, and then pocketed it.

"Arthur has informed me that Harry has found a strange locket." Dumbledore said, looking at everyone gathered around the table.

"Yes, and did he tell you why it's strange?" Mrs. Weasley asked, glancing over at her husband.

"He did mention, as he rushed me out of my office that it acted rather oddly when Harry touched it." Dumbledore replied, making Mr. Weasley look down at the ground sheepishly.

Dumbledore went over to where Arthur and Sirius stood by the table, and looked down at the object in question. Remus noticed that Dumbledore looked surprised as his eyes studied the locket, and slowly reached his hand out to grab it.

"Do you know what it is?" Sirius asked as Dumbledore grabbed the locket tightly in his withered hand.

"I believe I do but, of course, I am only guessing. I thought he may have made another besides the diary, but I couldn't be sure..." Dumbledore muttered the last part under his breath.

"Do you think if Harry spoke Parsaltongue to make it open, we could figure out what it might be?" Hermione asked shyly from the couch.

"If what I believe is correct then it would be unwise to open it at the moment." Dumbledore responded quietly.

"Sir?" Harry asked hesitantly after a moment of silence, "What do you believe it to be?"

"A very dark piece of magic." Dumbledore told him.

Mrs. Weasley gasped loudly from her seat on the couch, her eyes looking fretfully over at Harry, as if looking for any visible sign of dark magic on him. Remus and Sirius shared a look, both of them hearing a slight quiver in Dumbledore's voice.

"Albus?" Remus asked, wanting more of a explanation.

"I would like for the adults to follow me into the kitchen, while the children wait here, we'll only be a moment." Dumbledore ordered in a voice no one could argue with.

Remus, Sirius, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley hurried out of the room with Dumbledore while the kids were left to look at each other in annoyance and confusion. Harry picked up the fear in Dumbledore's tone as quickly as Remus and Sirius did, and knew the locket had to be very dark magic, something that would actually scare Dumbledore. Harry felt a shiver run down his spine.

"What do they think they're playing at? We have as much right to know as they do!" George cried in an annoyed voice, looking angrily at the door in front of him.

"Maybe if you all stopped whining, they would actually trust us enough to know!" Ginny hissed, "I'm sick and tired of hearing you complain about it all the time, it isn't going to change anything!"

Harry turned his head away and smirked, glad he wasn't the one Ginny was mad at, she had quite the temper._ Maybe that's why I like her_, Harry thought, _she doesn't take shit from anyone_. Harry gave his head a slight shake, trying to rid himself of the thought. Stop it, you can't think of her like that, she's Ron's sister. Looking back over at the Weasleys and Hermione, he ignored the argument between Ginny and her twin brothers. His eyes looked over Hermione and Ron, who both were unusually quiet.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked them both.

"It worries me, that locket. Why would it only respond to your touch? I know it scares Dumbledore, and that's enough to scare me." Hermione told him, her eyebrows creased together.

Ron put a reassuring arm around her, but looked at Harry as he spoke.

"I know it worries you, hell, it worries all of us. But Dumbledore will take care of it. He always does, he's the one with all the answers. He'll find a way."

Hermione gave a nod, and Harry ran his fingers through his hair, a habit he had recently acquired, and gave a small smile to his friends who were looking up at him. He trusted Dumbledore, he knew he would find a way to take care of the problem, but he couldn't shake off the way he felt when that damn locket touched his skin. Harry didn't know how, but he knew he had something to do with that locket. It only affected him, right?

"I know he will."

* * *

Molly and Arthur sat down at the dining room table, while Remus leaned against the sink, knowing he couldn't sit still for long. He smiled as he watched Sirius standing next to him, tapping his fingers against the counter impatiently as Dumbledore sat down next to the Weasleys. The locket was still gripped tightly in his hand and, after what they had told him about the locket, they were surprised Dumbledore was still holding onto it.

"What's going on, Albus?" Molly finally asked, not in the mood to wait for answers.

"Do you all remember the incident in Ms. Weasley's first year? The diary she had kept that whole year?" Dumbledore started, setting the locket in front of him.

"Yes, somehow V-V-, You-Know-Who preserved a sixteen year old memory of himself in that damn diary, and Ginny wrote to him all year. You explained everything to us in your office that day when Harry saved her in the Chamber of Secrets. I don't understand how the diary has anything to do with this." Arthur said, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"If my guess is correct, Arthur, it has everything to do with this." Dumbledore told him.

"No," Remus gasped, "Are you saying Voldemort can possess that locket?"

"Not exactly," Dumbledore reassured him, "But close. I always thought that Tom Riddle- Voldemort, would make one or try to, but never did I imagine he would try to make more. If I know him like I think I do then I think he would use the strongest magical number... seven..." Dumbledore started to ramble.

"Albus, can you please tell us what you're muttering about!" Sirius hissed, his impatience getting the best of him.

"I believe that Voldemort is trying to make himself immortal, or the closest he can get to it with magic, no matter how dark it may be. The magic he has used is very complex, and I think I know how he found out how to use it. The magic I am speaking of involves ripping the soul apart, and putting the ripped pieces into objects to keep them save, and can only be destroyed with something that will make these objects beyond magical repair." Dumbledore told them, resting his elbows on the table and leaning his chin into his left hand.

"So, this locket is one of Voldemort's soul-keeper's?" Remus asked in disgust.

"Yes, this is a Horcrux." Dumbledore replied gravely.

* * *

The adults came back after a half hour of talking, and Mrs. Weasley informed her children, along with Hermione and Harry, that they were done cleaning for the day. Harry raised his eyebrows but said no more, and glanced over at the clock on the mantle of the fireplace, which told him it was only eleven in the morning. Remus went over to the fireplace to call Moody, Tonks, and Kingsley to come over, and the kids walked out of the room, knowing they were going to be shooed out at some point. Quietly ascending the stairs, Harry and Ron walked side by side up the stairs, just in case Harry felt weaker than he did and needed any help going up. They all walked into a sitting room on the second floor, which Fred and George usually used to test some of their joke products, and sat down in the chairs that were scattered around the room.

"What do you think they were talking about?" Fred asked, his body draped across the chair he was sitting in.

"The locket." Ron replied bluntly.

"We know that, you idiot. What I meant was what exactly is that locket? We all know it's some type of dark magic, maybe they were trying to figure out what kind of dark magic it was?" George told him, his tone serious.

"Maybe, that would explain why they didn't want us listening in. But I know that this is something big, or it wouldn't worry Dumbledore so much. They could of throw it away or destroyed it with their wands if it wasn't anything big, but I don't think it's that simple." Hermione agreed, adding her own thoughts.

"Hermione's right," Ginny said from her chair, "I don't think it's gonna be that simple. But like Ron was saying before, Dumbledore will find a way, he always does. I'm sure this thing will blow over in a few days, and the Order will have found a way to get rid of it."

Harry looked around at everyone, and saw they were nodding at Ginny's words. He didn't think it would be as easy as Ginny made it sound, but found himself nodding along regardless, not wanting to draw attention to himself as he thought over it. Something about that locket gave him the chills, it made him feel uneasy and somehow fearful. There was something about that locket that felt familiar with Harry though, he just couldn't place it...


	14. Chapter 14: Fudge's Fears

Moody came through the fireplace first, wanting to take a quick look at the locket before the two Auror's showed up, and asked a few questions about it. Minutes later Tonks and Kingsley stumbled out, grinning madly as they told everyone a warrant was out for Rita Skeeter's arrest. Sirius and Remus shared an amused look, and Sirius wrapped an arm around his cousins shoulder and pretended to cry in the crook of her neck, crying around how proud he was of her.

"Of stop being so dramatic, Sirius." She said with a hint of annoyance in her voice, pushing Sirius off her shoulder.

Sirius smirked at her before he walked over to Remus, and sat down next to him in the couch. Everyone else seated themselves around the room, and looked over towards Dumbledore, who had conjured a chair and placed it in the middle of the sofa's, and sat down.

"Dumbledore," Kingsley started, "I have a message to give you from Mi-"

"Can't it wait, ladie? I think what Dumbledore is about to tell you is more important." Moody interrupted, his fake eye spinning in Kingsley's direction.

Kingsley nodded, trying to keep his face straight and hide his annoyance at the old Auror. Tonks sent Moody a quick glare, but he had turned his attention to Dumbledore before he could notice. Dumbledore briefly explained to them about the Horcrux, informing them how dark and dangerous they were. At the end of his explanation he asked them if they knew any means of destroying anything beyond magical repair, but the Auror's couldn't think of anything, thinking over everything they had learned in all their years as Auror's.

"I would also like for anyone to look for anything that might of been in the possession of any of the Founder's of Hogwart's when they were alive." Dumbledore told everyone.

Confused looks ran thoughout the room, and Sirius looked at Dumbledore like he was more madder than he already was.

"I think that Voldemort would of made any Horcruxes out of any Founder's possession's. Take the locket for example, this used to belong to Salazar Slytherin himself. I believe he got everything but Gryffindor, as I have the Sorting Hat and Sword that belonged to Godric Gryffindor himself." Dumbledore told them, answering the questions running through their heads.

"I know Helga Hufflepuff had some kind of cup, I remember reading about it in a book when I was researching a paper when I was at Hogwarts." Tonks said, her hair turning blonde as she sunk into deep thought.

"I remember a Ravenclaw friend of mine telling me about a lost diadem a couple of years ago, but like I said, it's lost. Do you think You-Know-Who might of found it?" Kingsley added.

"If he was desperate enough, I believe he would of." Dumbledore replied to him, a hand on his chin as he thought.

"That would make four. That diary, locket, Hufflepuff's cup, and Ravenclaw's diadem. You believe he would of made seven, Albus?" Moody said.

"Yes, I'm trying to think of what else he could of made a Horcrux out of..." Dumbledore trailed off into thought.

"Wasn't there a message you needed to give to Albus, Kingsley?" Arthur said, the thought suddenly popping into his mind.

"Yes, thank you Arthur," Kingsley said, and turned his attention to Dumbledore. "Minister Fudge requested a meeting with you, to talk about Hogwarts and the kidnapping."

Dumbledore sighed and stroked his beard, looking more like the old man he really was. He checked the gold watch on his wrist, and stood up from his chair.

"I have some time left before I need to help Hagrid with the animals he bought for the new year. If any of you need me please don't hesitate to call, I'll be in my office at Hogwarts if you need me." Dumbledore told them, heading towards the fire.

"Albus," Sirius started, standing up from his spot, "Have the meeting with Fudge here. I'll stay upstairs with the kids, keep them busy for a while."

"I have invaded your privacy enough, Sirius." Dumbledore said with a small smile, "I've over-stayed my welcome."

"Nonsense," Sirius said with a wave of his hand, "I insist. Besides, wouldn't it be easier that Harry's here? If Fudge doubt's anything you say about Voldemort's return, we bring Harry down and show Fudge all of his injuries. It's enough evidence, I would think." He explained.

Dumbledore thought over it for a moment, looking at Sirius over my half-moon spectacle's.

"If you insist," He said with a sigh, "I'll call Fudge now. You may want to head up right now then, Sirius. He might come over as soon I tell he may. Plus, the children will need a explanation as to why they aren't allowed downstairs at the moment."

Sirius nodded, and with a grin on his face, headed towards the stairs. Molly got up form the sofa and grabbed the pot of tea off the coffee table, and went to the kitchen to make a new pot of it, while Dumbledore headed over to the fireplace and threw Floo powder in.

"Minister of Magic's Office!" He said, and stuck his head in the fire.

Moody gave a quick goodbye to everyone in the room, and started to walk towards the front door to leave, not thinking he could be in the same room with that 'moron of a minister'. Arthur, Remus, Kingsley and Tonks were quietly talking about any new Death Eater sightings to break the silence. After a few minutes Dumbledore pulled his head out of the fire, using his wand to vanish any soot that stuck to him, and walked over to his chair in the middle of the two chairs facing each other.

"What did he say?" Remus asked as Molly walked back in, a steaming pot of tea clutched in her hands.

"He'll be here in a few moments." Dumbledore replied, leaning back in his chair.

"Should I be here? Or should I join Sirius and the kids upstairs?" Remus asked worriedly.

"Please, feel free to stay. You might be able to help me out when he asks about Harry's kidnapping." Dumbledore told him with a sad smile.

Remus nodded and grabbed himself a chipped mug, and poured some tea into it. Tonks put a comforting hand on his shoulder, and he looked at her with a smile on his face, her hair now a dull orange with dark blue eyes. He then quickly looked away as he felt a blush coming on, and took a sip out of his mug for something to do. The room filled with silence, waiting for the moment they would have to speak of the horror's Harry barely escaped a few days ago. Suddenly the fire roared and turned green, and Cornelius Fudge stumbled out, coughing out soot that had entered his mouth. Fixing his bowler hat and wiping his robes off, Fudges eyes searched the room for a moment, taking in everyone who was there.

"Dumbledore," He started with a slight nod of his head, "I trust Auror Kingsley had informed you of what we need to talk about?" He asked.

"He did," Dumbledore assured him with a small smile, "And what is it that you need me to inform you about right now? " Dumbledore questioned curiously.

Fudge walked over by Dumbledore and conjured his own chair, his eyes flickering to each person in the room before he sat down, and kept his eyes on Dumbledore.

"First off, most importantly, to capture and rescue of Harry Potter." Fudge replied, almost hesitantly.

"Yes," Dumbledore said with a nod, "It is quite a story. Although I feel I would be wasting my breath, as you do not believe the person who captured him is alive, I really see no reason to bother you with the story."

Fudge squirmed uncomfortably in his chair, feeling all eyes on him.

"Now Dumbledore, you know I only believe such because I have no evidence to support it, and seeing as such I wouldn't scare the Wizarding World about what could be nothing." Fudge explained, wiping the sweat off his hands on his trousers.

"What would you say if I told you I have evidence. We both know of one spell only Voldemort himself uses on his victims, seeing as he created the spell. No Death Eater has ever used the spell, in respect for their master. Harry has wounds healing on his back from the Retrorsum Vellit Curse, which can only heal the Muggle way as of now." Dumbledore told him, watching Fudge carefully.

Fudges eyes widened a bit, and he took a audible gulp. He thought over Dumbledores words, searching for anything in his words to make him believe he was being lied to, but found nothing. Taking a deep breath, he wiped the sweat off his brow and looked back over at Dumbledore.

"And can you produce such evidence?" He asked hesitantly.

"Indeed." Dumbledore replied, and looked over at Remus. "Will you please go get Harry from his room upstairs and bring him down please?"

Remus nodded and stood up quickly from his seat, setting down his mug on the table in front of him before making his way out of the room, and hurried up the stairs. The room once again waited in silence, and Mrs. Weasley stood up and poured everyone a mug of tea, using her wand to send them out to everyone.

"Thank you, my dear." Fudge said, looking over at her with a kind smile on his face, and taking a small sip out of his cup.

A minute later they could hear people descending the stairs, talking in hushed voices. The creak on the floorboards announced they were walking towards the room, and within seconds Remus walked in, his arms wrapped around Harry's shoulders. Harry gave a small smile, and eyed Fudge worriedly, already knowing from Sirius what he was going to be asked.

"It's good to see you, Harry." Fudge said after a moment, and Harry was sitting next to Remus on the sofa.

"Hello Minister." Harry replied hesitantly.

Dumbledore turned his body towards Harry, studying him curiously for a moment before he began.

"I believe Remus filled you in on everything?" He asked.

Harry nodded, tearing his eyes away from Fudge to look at Dumbledore, "Yes he did, Sir."

"Excellent. Now, Minister Fudge has said that he needs actual proof that Lord Voldemort has returned, and luckily enough you have that proof healing on your back. Will you please lift your shirt and show Minister Fudge the wounds that were inflicted upon your back?" Dumbledore said.

With the help of Remus, Harry stood up and walked over to stand right in front of Fudge, and turned around. Harry gripped one of Remus' arms as he used his other arm to pull his shirt up a bit, all the way up to show the bandages covering his back, blood staining through them. Remus grabbed his wand out of his pocket and waved it around Harry's back, making the bandages disappear. Harry sucked in a deep breath as the air hit his wounds, and kept his body tense. Fudge looked at his back with wide eyes, getting off his chair and walking up to Harry to get a closer look, and studied the wounds closely.

The rest of the adults watched Fudge, wondering what he was thinking. They all worried that Fudge wouldn't believe what he was seeing, and the Wizarding World would continue to be unaware of the return of Lord Voldemort. Not only did Fudge see the three long cuts along Harry's back, he saw how weak and white Harry looked, he could see the little cuts that covered his hand and parts of his body, his tired eyes and his sudden weight loss. It all finally clicked in Fudges mind, he knew no one in this room would lie about who did this, they wanted justice for it. Remus could see the understanding in his eyes, and with a smile he led Harry over to the couch, watching as Tonks summoned bandages and placed them carefully on Harry's back.

"I-It's true." Fudge stuttered, stumbling back into his chair, his mouth open in what seemed shock.

Dumbledore let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding, and watched as everyone else gave a small sigh, and how Harry looked a bit annoyed.

"Yes," Dumbledore said, "And know you know Voldemort is back..." He trailed off.

"I need to inform the Auror's and Daily Prophet right away." Fudge muttered, his brain rushing through everything he now needed to do.

"We can help you with that." Kingsley said, standing up from his seat, and after finishing putting the bandage's on Harry's back, Tonks did as well.

Fudge nodded numbly, holding onto the arm of the chair as he stood up, his face pale and worried. Kingsley and Tonks made their way to the fireplace, waiting by it as Fudge walked over to Dumbledore, who was getting out of the chair he conjured.

"I'm sorry, Albus," Fudge started, sincerity and guilt in his voice, "I should of believe you when you told me after the Third Task, but-"

"But you didn't want to believe it, you didn't want to deal with everything that Voldemort's return would bring you." Dumbledore cut in, his voice calm.

Fudge flinched as though Dumbledore had slapped him, knowing his words were true.

"There is still time," Dumbledore continued, "to inform everyone about his return, before too much damage is made. Do what you need to do, Cornelius, and if you need me I'll be by your side."

"Thank you, Albus. I'll contact you after I inform the Ministry of You-Know-Who's return." Fudge said with a weak smile.

Dumbledore nodded, and he and Fudge shook hands. After a moment Fudge cleared his throat, and started to walk over towards the fireplace as Kingsley grabbed the Floo powder off the mantle. Fudge turned around and looked at everyone in the room with guilty eyes, and they stopped on Harry as he spoke.

"Thank you all for your time, and I'm terribly sorry for my grave mistake."

And with that he, Kingsley, and Tonks walked into the fireplace, all shouting the same destination, Fudge completely forgetting about wanting to ask Dumbledore if he had found a new Professor for DADA at Hogwarts. The room sat in stunned silence for a moment, as if hardly believing what just happened. Remus finally cracked a smile, and carefully put a arm around Harry's shoulders, ruffling his hair slightly.

"You did it, pup! You got Fudge to finally believe us!" He whispered excitedly.

Harry felt his lips curve into a smile, finding Remus' excitement amusing. Harry felt relieved, glad that Fudge finally saw the truth, that he wouldn't be made out as a liar to the Wizarding World anymore. Dumbledore vanished the chair Fudge had conjured with a flick of his wrist, beaming over at Harry and Remus. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley got off their couch, walking over towards the couch Harry and Remus sat on, and Mrs. Weasley pulled Harry into a warm hug, careful not to touch his wounds while her husband sat down on Remus' free side. Harry put his arms around her, closing his eyes as he took in the comfort she was giving him, as if telling him everything was going to be alright. They stayed like that for a moment, and then at the same time they started to pull away. Before Mrs. Weasley fully pulled away from him, she turned her head and whispered in his ear.

"You mother and father would be proud of how strong you are."

And then she let go of him, beaming at him with tearful eyes as she sat down on his other side. Harry gave a choked smile, a warm feeling spreading through his chest at her words.

"Would you like to inform your friends and godfather about what just happened?" Dumbledore asked Harry, his eyes twinkling merrily down at Harry.

"Yes, sir." Harry said, quickly standing up from the couch.

"Do you need me to help you?" Remus asked, starting to sit up.

"No thanks, I think I got it." Harry muttered with a smile.

Remus sighed and sat back down, watching Harry as he hurried as fast as he could over to the stairs, clutching the railing as he climbed up. By the time Harry made it up the stairs to the second floor, his heart was beating fast and he struggled to catch his breath, but he hurried into the room he knew Sirius was waiting in with the Weasley's and Hermione. Harry opened the door slowly, peeking in before he walk in the door, shutting the down behind him. Hermione and Ginny were sitting on a sofa together, looking at a magazine Ginny was holding in her hands. Sirius, Fred, George, and Ron were all sitting in a circle on the floor, reading the piece of parchment Fred and George had wrote idea's out on for their joke shop, all of them snickering over something they wrote. All heads turned to him the moment the door shut, and Harry saw Fred trying to hide the piece of parchment.

"Bloody hell, Harry! You scared me, I thought you were mum for a moment." Fred exclaimed, setting the parchment back in front of him.

"What happened?" Sirius asked eagerly, getting off the floor.

Harry stared at him for a moment, before he broke out into a smile.

"Fudge believes us." Harry replied, watching as everyone beamed at his words.

* * *

A/N: I'm ssoooooooo sorry! I haven't posted in a little while and I feel so guilty! I've been super busy though, so don't hate me too much. Is anyone a Mortal Instrument's fan? I'm soo excited for City Of Heavenly Fire to come out!


	15. Chapter 15: The New Professor

Harry stared down at the parchment, wracking his brain for the answer to the question written in front of him. Looking across from him, he could see Ron was having the same problem. _Why did Hermione and Mrs. Weasley choose the day that he and Ron finally started on their summer homework to go to Diagon Alley? They still had about a week or so until they needed to return to Hogwarts, couldn't the supplies wait?_ Ron looked up from his own homework, meeting his eyes, and Harry knew they were thinking the same. Sighing, Harry returned his eyes to his homework, and made a wild guess at the answer. His mind thought over the last few days as he stared blankly at the next question, and felt his lips curve into a smile. After two days of waiting, the Daily Prophet finally came out with the truth about Voldemort yesterday, claiming that evidence had come up to prove it.

Harry remembered Remus pulling him aside as everyone else in the room celebrated, telling him the only reason why the story had been delayed was because an employee close to Fudge, Umbridge, who Harry vaguely remembered, protested against the story being published. After a shouting match that most people in the Atrium heard, Umbridge managed to get herself fired from the Ministry of Magic. Hardly realizing what she was saying, she had accidentally let slip that she was the one who sent the Dementors to Little Whinging, right in front of Fudge. Harry could hear the relish in Remus' voice as he told them this and briefly wondered why, before the twins had pulled him away and started telling him more of their ideas for the joke shop.  
Leaning back in his chair, Harry threw his quill onto the table and stretched his arms over his head, wincing slightly as the tender skin on his back stretched painfully.

His back was still healing the Muggle way, while the rest of his wounds were just about gone, just sore to the touch. His stomach felt uncomfortably heavy from the breakfast that morning that Mrs. Weasley had forced him to eat, still concerned about his bony body. Sirius had said James was skinny and small for his age too, but still agreed with Mrs. Weasley, saying that not even Harry's dad was that skinny. Harry had rolled his eyes but said nothing, knowing they were both right. His shirts and trousers hung more loosely than they usually did, and his ribs were sickeningly visible through the skin on his chest. Sirius walked into the dining room, an empty sup of tea in his hands, and chuckled as he looked at Ron and Harry.

"Trouble with homework?" He asked with a smirk, pulling out a chair and sitting next to Ron.

Harry glanced over at Ron, and they both rolled their eyes. Sirius saw and laughed, grabbing Ron's paper and reading over it quickly, then setting it back.

"C'mon, it can't be that hard! Hermione had her paper done before she even showed up here!" Sirius exclaimed sarcastically.

"Well she's a bloody genius, isn't she?" Ron muttered, scribbling down an answer.

"Tsk, tsk, Ron, wrong answer." Sirius said, watching Ron write out his answer, "The Aparecium Spell makes invisible ink become visible, not 'makes ink become invisible.' Honestly." He said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Harry snickered as Ron muttered irritably under his breath, crossing out his answer and writing what Sirius just told him.

So, is there any reason you came down here other than to annoy us?" Harry asked.

"As a matter of fact yes," Sirius said, " I need to talk to you, Harry. In private." He added, glancing at Ron.

Harry nodded and got off his chair, forgetting about his homework as he gave Ron a quick wave, and walked into the other room with Sirius. Harry sat down on the counter as Sirius put his cup in the sink, and watched as the sponge in the sink started to clean the cup for him.

"What's up?" Harry asked as Sirius sat on the counter opposite him.

"Well, er, I'm just concerned about you going back to Hogwarts." Sirius started.

Harry could see were he was going with this, and shook his head with disbelief.

"You're joking! I'm not staying here while everyone else goes back to Hogwarts, no way!" Harry exclaimed.

"The wound on your back isn't even fully healed yet, and you're still weak-"

"I'm not letting Voldemort have the satisfaction of knowing how much he hurt me," Harry cut in, "I'll be fine to go back. Hogwarts is one of the safest places right now, everyone knows Voldemort's back, so the castle will have more protection than ever!"

Sirius sighed, and ran his fingers though his shaggy, black hair, "I know, but that doesn't stop me from worrying about you." He muttered.

The anger Harry felt swelling inside him vanished, and he smiled over at his godfather.

"You know Dumbledore will be keeping an eye on me, I know he will. And besides, it isn't like any of the teacher's are out to get me, right?" Harry said with a small laugh.

"'Course not, Dumbledore hired someone almost as good as Moony for Defense Against the Dark Arts." Sirius told him, a smirk growing on his face.

"Dumbledore never mentioned anything about the new DADA teacher when he was here, who is it?" Harry asked eagerly.

"I don't know if I should tell you, don't you want to be surprised?" Sirius asked, pretending to consider it.

"Oh c'mon, Sirius! Stop messing around and tell me!" Harry said with mock annoyance.

"Fine, Tonks is taking time off from the Ministry to work at Hogwarts." Sirius told him.

"You're joking!" Harry said in shock.

"No, I'm Sirius." He replied with a straight face.

"That joke got old ages ago." Harry said, chuckling as he shook his head.  
"Did not! It's been around since I was at Hogwarts."

"Exactly my point." Harry said with a straight face, pushing himself off the counter and leaning against it.

"You scrawny git." Sirius muttered.

Harry chuckled, hearing the comment, and grabbed his half empty bottle of Butterbeer off the counter from earlier.

"Hold on, back to Tonks. I thought the Ministry would be appointing a new teacher for Defense." Harry said, his voice full of curiosity.

"They would only do that if Dumbledore couldn't find a teacher in time, and they were afraid that Dumbledore would hire someone to help him train you all in combat." Sirius said with a shrug.

"Combat? You're telling me the Ministry actually thought Dumbledore wanted to train us up to fight against them?" Harry's eyes bulged out of his head.

"Biggest bunch of bullshit I've ever heard if you ask me." Sirius told Harry.

"Sirius Orion Black!" A voice scolded behind Harry.

Harry whipped around at the sudden noise, his body tense. He let a breath out when he saw it was only Mrs. Weasley, her arms full of bags. Ron was standing next to her, snickering at the look of surprise of Sirius' face. Hermione and Ginny walked in after Ron, there arms too, loaded with bags. As Mrs. Weasley set her bags on the counter, Hermione and Ginny struggled to keep a hold of everything in their arms. Ron moved over and helped Hermione with her bags since he was closest to her, while Harry hurried over to help Ginny.

"You don't need to help me, Harry. I've got it all, plus you should be resting." Ginny told him with a smile that made his heart flutter.

"I'm not that delicate, I can carry a few bags." He said with a roll of his eyes.

Harry grabbed most of the bags out of her arms, briefly brushing his fingers against her arms as he did. His fingertips felt hot, and he turned away from her before she could see the goosebumps that erupted on his skin. As he set the bags on the counter Hermione caught his eye, a knowing look on her face as she smirked at him, her eyes flickering to Ginny for a moment. Harry felt his eyes widen a bit, and he shook his head at her, pointing with his eyes towards Ron. Hermione gave a quiet snort and rolled her eyes, giving him a look that said 'we'll talk later'.

"Merlin's beard, Molly, what did you buy?" Sirius asked, his eyes roaming over all the bags.

"All their school supplies they needed, more food for here, clothes, and potions for Harry." Mrs. Weasley replied.

"When did we get our Hogwarts letters?" Harry asked, his eyebrows creased together in confusion, "I've been waiting for the past few days for them to come."

"Harry, we got them the day before - before we found you." Ginny said hesitantly.

Harry gave a small flinch at the reminder of his capture, and gave a small nod. Sirius walked over to a drawer in the kitchen and grabbed a piece of parchment, he hurried over and handed it to Harry. Harry looked over the list quickly, and gave a small frown.

"There's only two new ones," He said, "The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 5, and Self-Defense Spellwork."  
"Who do you reckon is the new Defense teacher?" Ginny asked, peering over Harry's shoulder to look at his list of school books.

"Some lunatic probably." Ron muttered.

"Oi! I take offense to that!" Sirius called from across the room.

"Why? There's no way you can be the new teacher, the Ministry still thinks your a criminal." Hermione said, looking at Sirius as if he had gone mad.

"Please, I would never be a teacher," Sirius gave a fake shudder, "I just don't like you insulting my lovely cousins sanity."

"What are you - wait, T-Tonks?" Ron spluttered.

"Yes, Ickle Ronikins, gold star to you for getting something right for once." Fred said, leaning against the doorway with George.

Harry glanced over at them, and could see a small piece of string from an Extendable Ear dangling out of George's pocket. Ron glared over at his brother, picking up a scroll of parchment from the counter and playfully throwing it at Fred, who whipped out his wand and flicked it, freezing the parchment in mid-air.

"Very mature, Ron. It's a wonder you were made Prefect." Ginny said with a smirk on her face.

"Prefect? Ron was made Prefect?!" Harry exclaimed, turning his head towards Ron.

"There's no need to sound so surprised." Ron said with a mock glare at Harry.

"Well no one told me." Harry told him, shock written on his face.

"To be honest I totally forgot, there were, um, more important things going on." Ron muttered, glancing down at his feet.

Harry felt as if he had swallowed an ice cube, closing his eyes for a moment at the second mention of his capture. When he opened his eyes he found sympathetic stares aimed at him, and cleared his throat.

"What else happened?" He asked, eager to change the subject.

"I was made prefect too!" Hermione told him excitedly.

Harry smiled at her, giving both her and Ron his congratulations. He could feel Sirius' eyes on him, but tried his best to ignore him and look away, giving a mental groan inside his head. Sirius would want to talk, Harry knew that. Their conversation from earlier wasn't finished yet. After everyone got their school supplies sorted out, Mrs. Weasley asked them to take them up to their rooms, so that they could start packing before they left for Hogwarts in three days. Harry gathered all his robes, books, potions ingredients, quills, and parchment in his arms. Then he stumbled over to the stairs with Ron, Hermione, and Ginny in front of him, and Fred and George following behind him, their arms full of supplies as well.

Ron, Hermione and Ginny turned the corner as they reached the landing, heading towards their rooms, while Harry and the twins turned the other way, their rooms next to each other. Harry made it to his room and kicked at the door to open it, stumbling into the wall next to him as he lost his balance. He closed his eyes and bit his lip, his body colliding with the wall painfully, rattling his injuries. He heard a few cracks as something fell to the floor, and opened his eyes, giving a frustrated sigh as he looked down at the broken vials of potion ingredients scattered on the floor.

"Need any help?" One of the twins asked, reminding Harry of the train ride in his first year.

Harry looked up and saw George, he had his wand out and was looking down at the mess on the ground.

"Yeah, thanks." Harry replied, leaning against the wall and getting a better grip on everything in his hands.

With a flick of his wand George fixed the vials, the ingredients flying back inside. George bent down to pick them up, and Harry could see Fred hurrying over behind him.

"Everything alright?" He asked, glancing down at George before looking over at Harry.

Harry's back throbbed in irritation, but he tried to ignore it and nodded to Fred. Fred looked at him wearily, as if he didn't believe him for a moment, but looked away and grabbed the potion ingredients out of George's arms so he could help Harry with the rest of his things. Harry followed the twins into his and Sirius' room, dumping all the things on his bed for him to pack later.

"Is that everything?" George asked, his eyes wandering around the room.

"Yeah, it is. Thanks you guys." Harry said, sorting out his clothes from his school supplies.

"No problem, young Harry." They both winked at him and bowed deeply.

Harry laughed and shook his head, watching the twins leave and shut the door behind them. He sat down on his bed and ran his fingers through his hair, making a mental note to ask Mrs. Weasley if she could try to cut it for him. He'd forgotten to ask her to do it when he got to Grimmauld place, with everything that had been going on recently. The thought brought Sirius back into his mind, and the conversation they had earlier in the kitchen. Harry knew that people would talk about what happened, some awkward questions would be asked, but if they all knew that Voldemort was back, wasn't it worth it?

* * *

Harry huffed out a breath as he shut the top of his Hogwarts trunk, locking the sides with a flick of his finger. He looked around the room, which now looked strangely empty without all his stuff scattered around. Harry heaved the trunk off his bed and set it near the door, it would be easier to grab in the morning. He walked out of the room, went down the hall to Ron's room, and opened the door. He stood there for a moment, looking around the empty room with confusion. Hadn't Ron walked in his room only moments ago telling Harry to meet him and Hermione there? Shaking his head as he rolled his eyes, Harry walked over to the stairs and started to climb down, faintly hearing voices echoing from downstairs.

When he reached the landing he looked around, straining his ears to find out which room everyone was in. After a moment of standing alone in the hall, Harry figured everyone was gathered in the living room. He set off down the corridor, walking as fast as he could, and turned the corner.

Right away Harry could tell something was wrong. Hermione and Ron were backing away from the others who were standing in front of them, obviously trying to leave without anyone noticing. Remus, Sirius, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were all looking towards someone Harry couldn't see, but by the way everyone was talking, he doubted it was Dumbledore. The person gave a response so quiet Harry couldn't hear it, but guessed that they had said the wrong thing when Sirius started yelling at them.

"How dare you say that! Hasn't he been through enough already? Do you think Harry is ready to do anything of that sort yet? You need to leave, before I make you."

Sirius was beyond angry - he was enraged. Harry didn't like this side of Sirius, he was unpredictable and acted before thinking. Again, the person was talking, but it still sounded like mumbles to Harry, who couldn't hear a word of what they were saying. Sirius let out a dog-like growl and started to make his way across the room, but Remus stepped in front of him and put his hands on Sirius' shoulders, holding him back.

"Calm down, Padfoot." He said in a soothing voice, but even he looked like he was seconds away from punching someone.

Harry took the opportunity to glance at the person they all were crowded around, able to see now that Remus had moved out of the way. A jolt of fear shook Harry as he stared into cold black eyes, his heart started to race inside his chest and his body tensed for a moment, a familiar horrible feeling of dread filling him before he could clear his mind.

"You!" He yelled, startling everyone in the room, who turned to look at him with wide eyes.

Harry thrust his hand into his pocket, gripping his wand tightly in his fingers before drawing it out, and pointing it directly at Snape.

"Harry!" Mrs. Weasley shouted, looking at him with wide eyes.

Harry started forward furiously, stopping when he was only a few feet away from Snape, the wand in his hand pointed right at his heart. Snape had not drawn his wand, but looked at Harry with an expression he did not recognize. He didn't care. Remus let go of Sirius, both were watching Harry in disbelief.

"How could you let him into the house?" Harry started with a yell, "He's a Death Eater for crying out loud!"

"Harry," Sirius started, finding his voice, "You've got the wrong idea, Snape is on our side-"

"No he isn't!" Harry roared his interruption, red sparks flying out of his wand and narrowly missing Snape.

"He's a death Eater, I saw him! He works for Voldemort - he's in his inner circle!"

"Don't do anything stupid, Potter." Snape said, lacking his usual sneer.

"Or what? Are you going to torture me like you did back at the Riddle House with your Death Eater buddies? Torture me until I can't think straight again?" Harry snapped, his hand starting to tremble.

Harry heard the intake of breath around him, he hadn't mentioned anything that had happened to him at the Riddle House since telling Dumbledore, they all knew Harry was too angry to care about anything he said.

"Potter, I-" Snape started, but Harry cut him off.

"Don't deny it, I saw you standing with all the other Death Eaters! Did you enjoy putting the Cruciatus Curse on me? Did you laugh when I screamed out in agony, laugh at how stupid I looked twitching and thrashing on the ground-"

"Stop it!" Hermione yelled, her face stricken.

Harry stopped and turned, glaring at everyone in the room until he came back to his senses. His eyes widened as he realized what they had heard him yell, a look of horror on his face. He dropped his wand to his side, his fingers still clutching it tightly, but he turned fully away from Snape and looked at everyone else in the room apologetically.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean for anyone to hear what I-" Harry started, his voice cracking slightly.

"It's okay, lets get you out of here." Mr. Weasley said, walking over to Harry and putting an arm around his shoulders, "You all finish up in here, me and the kids will be in the kitchen." He told the adults in the room, his eyes on Sirius.

Mr. Weasley beckoned Ron and Hermione towards him, who followed him wordlessly as he steered Harry out of the room, down into the hall and into the kitchen. Harry sat down at the kitchen table, hiding his face in his arms as Ron and Hermione stood by the table, their eyes flickering from Harry to Mr. Weasley, who was at the fridge.

"Butterbeer anyone? We have that, pumpkin juice, firewhiskey, wait, forget I said that, you're too young for it."

No one answered him, but looked at each other nervously. Harry refused to look at any of them, but focused his stare on the table in front of him, feeling humiliated and furious. Ron and Hermione finally sat down next to him, silently debating whether one of them should speak up or not. After a minute Hermione rolled her eyes at Ron but nodded, silently agreeing to speak up.

"Harry-" She started.

"I don't want your pity." Harry snapped, finally looking up at them.

"I don't-"

"Don't lie. Just don't. I can see it in your eyes and hear it in your voice, just don't lie to me." Harry said quietly.

Hermione looked lost, and she could feel tears start to form in her eyes as she looked at Harry, who was staring back at her with his own haunted green ones. Harry, who saw the tears forming, gave Ron an alarmed looked before he put a hand on top of hers and patted it clumsily.

"Don't cry, Hermione - I didn't mean to upse-" Harry began.

"Don't apologize, Harry, it's not your fault. You reacted without thinking, seeing him triggered your memory and you defended yourself in the only way you could think of." Hermione cut in with a choked voice.

Harry didn't say anything, he just looked at her with his lips parted and eyebrows pulled together slightly, wondering how the hell she knew what had happened to him. Hermione sniffled and put a hand to her eye to wipe away a tear, Ron took the opportunity to wrap a comforting arm around her, and Hermione allowed a small smile at the gesture.

"Why was he even here in the first place?" Harry asked hesitantly.

"Honestly, I don't know, mate. Me and Hermione came in about a minute before you did, and could only hear Sirius yelling at him." Ron answered, creases forming on his forehead as he thought about it.

Mr. Weasley came over then, four Butterbeer bottles clutched in his hand as he sat down opposite Harry and passed out a bottle to each of them. Harry uncorked his and took a swig, looking for anything to do as the silence settled in again.

"Harry," Mr. Weasley started, his mouth open as he thought over his next words, "I need you to listen to me carefully, eventually you'll have to understand. Snape is on our side - don't interrupt me please - I know you don't think he is, because of what you saw at the Riddle house. But he never did anything there to hurt you. He tried slipping you potions to relieve some of your pain a few times, but every time he tried a Death Eater was always present, and he couldn't risk blowing his cover. He kept us all updated on how you were, and what condition you were in. When V-Voldemort and his Death Eaters put you under, under that curse, Snape didn't raise his wand - couldn't bare the thought of causing you so much pain, he looked ready to faint when he told us what happened. He helped you as much as he could there, did you ever question the Pain Relieve Potion that was left on your food tray after that night? Snape finally managed to slip you something, right when you needed it the most."

Harry stared at Mr. Weasley, digesting everything that was just told to him. Most of it clicked, like the potion on his food tray, he couldn't think that any other Death Eater would pity him enough to put him out of some of his misery. Harry knew that neither Sirius nor anyone else in the Order would even allow Snape in if they didn't trust him. But still, he had his doubts.

"What about the day I was taken? One minute Snape was there, and the next Voldemort was strutting towards me." Harry asked.

"Dumbledore told us that the wards around the house don't allow anyone in with dark magic surrounding them, except for one person - Snape. V-Voldemort somehow figured this out and used it to his advantage, and managed to possess Snape to enter Headquarters. You know the rest." Mr. Weasley told him.

Harry nodded vaguely, his mind pondering over everything. Snape wasn't a true Death Eater, he was on their side... He couldn't wrap his head around the idea, it sounded wrong and unbelievable. Mr. Weasley, Hermione and Ron left him to his thoughts, trying a few times to start up a conversation amongst themselves to fill the silence but it never lasted for long.

Finally, after what seemed to be half an hour, Sirius, Remus and Mrs. Weasley walked in, looking tired but wary. Sirius looked over at Harry, who stared right back at him with emotionless green eyes, then over at Remus, lost for words. Remus was about to open his mouth when Harry spoke.

"You don't need to explain, Mr. Weasley filled me in on everything." He said quietly.

"Are you okay?" Sirius asked, coming over and putting a hand on Harry's shoulder.

"I'm fine, honestly. I'm just tired, I need to sleep." Harry replied.

Sirius bit his lip and was silent for a moment, as if deciding whether or not he should trust Harry's words, but ended up nodding his head.

"Remus, will you take Harry upstairs? I need you to explain what'll be the plan for tomorrow, I have to speak with Arthur and Molly about something."

Harry was about to protest, he knew Sirius was making up some excuse to have a babysitter make sure he could get into his bed without falling or hurting himself, but kept his mouth shut at the look Remus shot him.

"Ron, Hermione, it's time for you both to go to bed as well. Fred, George and Ginny are all in their rooms, so make sure to keep your voices down. Goodnight." Mrs. Weasley said, and smiled at them all.

Harry gave her and Mr. Weasley a smile in return then looked over and gave Sirius a sad look. In truth, he was going to miss Sirius terribly. This whole summer he had devoted himself to Harry, did anything Harry needed of him, even saved his life. Part of him wished he had taken Sirius' offer of staying at Grimmauld Place for a while, until he was completely healed. But Harry knew that would be selfish, Ron and Hermione needed him and he would eventually have to face everyone in the school who all now knew the truth of what had happened to him.

Remus walked over to Harry and put a gentle hand on his back, he started to steer him towards the stairs, slowly walking up with him, Ron and Hermione in front of them. When they reached the landing to their floor, Harry said goodnight to his two best friends and went to his room with Remus following. Harry sat on the bed as Remus shut the door behind him, giving a small sigh as he joined Harry on the bed.

"I know you must be irritated that everyone has been following you around lately, I can see it in your face." Remus said gently.

Harry sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, hesitating, as he thought of what to say.

"It's just - I get why everyone is, I really do, but it is annoying me. Sirius won't leave me alone half the time, and I know he wants to spend time with me - and I want to spend time with him too - I just feel like he's babying me too much." Harry explained quietly.

"Yes, I can see how that would annoy someone but I want you to understand something, Harry. Sirius spent thirteen years in Azkaban, and the only happy thought he had in there was you. Now that he's out and has the chance to see you, he wants to get to know you more, he wants to make up for the time that was taken away from both of you, and he wants to take care of you as well and as much as he can." Remus told him as he wrapped an arm around Harry's shoulders.

"I'm just not used to adults wanting me around, or taking care of me." Harry whispered.

Remus' grip on Harry tightened, and he felt the older man stiffen next to him. Harry knew that Remus hated the Dursley's because of everything that they had done to him, all the lies they told, and how they affected Harry in general.

"I think the Dursley's hardly count as real people Harry," Harry chuckled at this, "But we do want you around, we always will. You've been in our lives since the day you were born, and we never want you to leave."

Harry smiled, joy and happiness swelling inside him. Sometimes he didn't know if people actually did like him, or if it all was an illusion his mind made up. It was wonderful to know that what he thought was actually true, that Sirius, Remus and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley truly did care about him. Remus smiled down at him and squeezed his shoulder, using the other hand to ruffle Harry's hair.

"Now, before I go, I want to let you know something. Sirius will come with you to King's Cross tomorrow, Tonks is really good at concealment charms and will disguise Sirius. Just make sure not call him by his first name, anyone could be listening." Remus added.

Harry's eyes lit up, and he beamed at Remus. Sirius could actually be there to see him off on the Hogwart's Express, just like his parents would have done if they were still alive.

"Thank you, Remus. For everything you've done for me." Harry said, and wrapped his arms around him.

Remus sat in shock for a moment, not expecting Harry to hug him, but after a moment wrapped his arms around Harry, and held him tightly. When they both finally pulled away Harry yawned loudly, and Remus gave a small chuckle.

"Alright pup, time for bed. Sirius will be up here after he's done talking with Molly and Arthur, but I think you'll be asleep by then."

Harry smiled tiredly, and laid his head against the pillow behind him. As Remus was walking towards the door Harry could already feel himself falling asleep, and accepted it gratefully.

"Night Moony." Harry whispered.

"Night kiddo." Harry heard Remus reply, faintly.

* * *

A/N: I gave you all a long chapter since I neglected to update for a couple of days. The next chapter should hopefully be put up tomorrow, but who knows with me!


	16. Chapter 16: New Faces

Even though Harry was quick to fall asleep that night, it didn't mean he had a restful night. His parents were in and out of his dreams, he also found himself wondering down a corridor with a locked door, a sight of flashing green light and the sound of a dead body falling to the ground, followed by a high-pitched laughed that woke Harry up right away. The only think he was thankful for was that he didn't shout out and wake Sirius up, or the rest of the house for that matter. So when the time came to wake up in the morning, Harry ignored the hand that shook his shoulder and turned away from the person standing over him. In a half-sleep state Harry faintly felt something soft and light land on his bed, and heard someone pacing around the room.

"... Merin Harry, wake up! We gotta hurry up, Mum's acting even crazier then usual, she's muttering about how we're gonna miss the bloody train."

Harry opened his eyes at the sound of Ron's voice, and groped the nightstand next to him for his glasses, and pulled them onto his face. As the room came into focus, Harry could see that Ron was gathering the rest of Harry's items that he didn't bother putting away last night, and that he threw an outfit for Harry to wear on the bed. Harry thought that it was strangely kind of Ron to do, but then again he and Hermione had been doing a lot more for him lately. Shaking his hair out of his face and yawning, Harry heaved himself out of the warm bed and quickly changed into his day clothes before following Ron downstairs. As they both walked downstairs, Ron started chatting about Quiditch, and Harry was glad to find that Ron didn't act different around him after what happened.

A wave of noise hit Harry the moment he and Ron started down the stairs. As they reached the bottom they saw Ginny laying on the ground by the foot of the stairs, massaging her head as the twins helped her up, apologizing profusely as they moved their Hogwarts trunks away from her on the ground. Instantly Harry felt panic flare inside him as he watched Ginny, feeling scared that she had hurt herself, but took a small sigh of relief as she shook her brothers off and smiled at them. After a shouting match between Mrs. Weasley and Mrs. Black, Hermione hurtled down the stairs, looking panicked as her eyes darted around the room, looking for the source of noise.

"Fred and George used magic again." Ron explained to her tiredly as he and Harry quickly pulled their shoes on.

"And nearly would of gotten away with it if Ginny hadn't appeared out of nowhere." Fred said behind them, carrying his Hogwarts trunk.

"When are we leaving? Mum was having kittens earlier about being on time." Ron said irritably.

"It's not her, It's Moody. Some bloke named Sturgis Podcore - no wait, that doesn't sound right, Podmore, I think? Anyway, he didn't show up for guard duty this morning." George answered, walking in with Ginny next to him.

"Why didn't he- wait, did you say guard? Why do we need a guard? Harry exclaimed.

"Not us, you. It's your guard." Hermione replied, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"What? You're joking, right? That do they expect? Voldemort to be saving me a seat next to him on the Hogwarts Express?" Harry scroffed sarcastically.

Ron, Ginny, Fred and George laughed under their breath, but Hermione pursed her lips.

"What Mad-Eye said goes." Hermione told him.

Before Harry could respond, there was a yell from the kitchen, and all heads turn in the direction of the noise. They all looked at each other in confusion, until the swinging door open and a man walked out, his hands in his hair and his face contorted in disgust. The man had long blonde hair that went to his chin, along with a goatee and beard, grey eyes, and Harry thought he had never seen the man in the Order before.

"Sirius!" A familiar voice shouted from the other room, sounding irritated.

It took a moment for Harry understand what was going on, and joined in on the laughter that erupted in the room. Sirius didn't bother telling them off, but eyed them all carefully before he grabbed Ron and pulled him in front of him, and cowered behind him.

"Hide me! She's trying to make me look like one of her Weird Sisters loverboys!" Sirius said desperately.

While everyone else laughed, Fred and George shared a mischievous look as big smiles grew on their face. It was the perfect time for revenge in their minds, after all the pranks Sirius decided to pull on them this summer. The door swung open again and Tonks walked out, her wand pointed in front of her as her eyes searched the room.

"Sirius Orion Black! Stop playing childish games and let me finish the concealment charms!" She yelled angrily.

Harry glanced over and saw Sirius flinch slightly, but he still refused to move away from Ron, who was trying his best to keep a straight face. Harry had to admit, Sirius did pick a good person to hide behind, Ron was just about as tall as Sirius, and with the way the trunks were piled in front of them their legs were hidden. _Still a Marauder at heart_, Harry thought with a smile.

Fred and George shared another look before they both started forward at the same time, and hurried over towards Sirius with sinister smirks. Silently they snuck up behind him and grabbed him under his arms, and hauled him up as Sirius gave a yelp of surprise.

"C'mon Sirius, be a good boy and finish getting concealed." Fred cooed sarcastically.

Tonks smiled as she watched the twins drag Sirius over to her, twirling her wand with her fingers.

"Traitors." Sirius hissed mockingly at them.

"Consider this, as the Muggles call it, payback." George whispered back.

Fred and George stopped and let go of Sirius in front of Tonks, and hurried back over to the group watching the scene that was about to unfold in front of them. Sirius was smiling guiltily at Tonks, who was tapping her wand against the palm of her hand.

"Why the dramatic scene, Sirius? It's not like I'm keeping you like this forever for Merlin's sake, just to see the kids off." She exclaimed.

Sirius rolled his eyes and sighed, but allowed her to finish her job. After she was done Harry could see only a small difference, but it hid Sirius completely. He was shorter than he originally was, which a much more pointed chin and bigger eyes, and Harry found it difficult to tell himself that this man was the Sirius he loved, not some random stranger. After about five minutes of hearing the twins and Ron moan about leaving for the train, Mrs. Weasley and Remus hurried in and shrunk everything for them, except their animals, and they started out the door and rushed over to the sidewalk.

It took about fifteen minutes to get to the train station by foot, they all kept trying to speed walk, but Mrs. Weasley or Tonks would end up yelling at them to stop, to try not to draw attentions to themselves. Sirius walked side by side with Harry, his hand hovering under Harry's elbow as he tried to talk casually with Ron and Hermione, but Harry could tell by the way he was walking that he was tense. When they reached the barrier between platforms 9 and 10, Harry felt Sirius grip his elbow and Tonks grip the other, their eyes wildly searching through the crowd in the train station. Harry felt a flare of irritation rise in him, and he shook off Sirius and Tonks as they started to steer him towards the wall.

"I can walk by myself." He said through clenched teeth, trying to calm down his sudden anger.

Sirius and Tonks shared a look over Harry's head, but let him go and decided to walk beside him as they rushed towards the barrier, and Harry swore he saw them both tense even more as they entered platform 9 3/4. As soon as Harry saw the train he felt his anger slip away, he watched students and parents give goodbyes before they parted, and felt his heart beat pick up in excitement. He was going back after all.  
After a few minutes of waiting everyone was on the platform, in a tightly knit group as they waited for Mad-Eye, who was here waiting for them before, to come back from unloaded their cart of luggage.

"Everything-" Sirius started.

"-Okay? Yeah, I don't reckon we were followed." Mad-Eye cut in.

"I'll inform Albus later about Podmore." Remus said quietly to Mad-Eye.

Moody nodded, "Good man."

Mrs. Weasley and Tonks hugged them all, while Remus and Moody shook everyone's hand, and it seemed as though Harry was getting advice from almost everyone to be careful and to keep his eyes peeled for anything. As Sirius came over to Harry, the warning whistle went off, and every student that remained on the platform rushed over to the train. Harry looked up at Sirius with sad eyes before he was engulfed in a tight hug, Sirius resting his head on Harry's as he held him.

"Be careful what you write, address me as Snuffles in your letter's - Hedwig will know who it is. Owl me if you need anything, and be sure to go to Madam Pomfrey when your potions run out or if you feel any pain." Sirius ranted.

Sirius then lightly pushed Harry towards the train with an encouraging smile that looked somewhat forced, and Harry hurried over to the open train door.

"Bye Siri - Snuffles!" He slipped.

Harry rushed onto the train and hurried towards an open window as the train started to leave, seeing Remus, Tonks, Moody, Mrs. Weasley and Sirius waving at him and Ron, Hermione, and Ginny as they all stood by Harry. Fred and George left as soon as the adults were out of sight, hurrying down the corridor to their friends, while Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Ginny started down the other side of the train.

"Which compartment do you want?" Harry asked as he glanced over his shoulder at Ron and Hermione, who he saw exchanged awkward looks.

It turned out prefects had to sit with each other, much to Harry's disappointment as he walked down the halls in the train with Ginny by his side, but he couldn't say that he was all disappointed as he glanced over at Ginny with a smile. Harry saw his face printed on some Daily Prophets as they walked past, and tried to ignore and stares and whispers that followed him. Harry and Ginny ended up sitting in a compartment with Neville, who was staring at a girl with long dirty blonde hair in the seat across from him, who Harry vaguely recognized.

"Hey, Harry, Ginny. I haven't seen you all summer." Neville said with a nervous smile.

Harry smiled back and sat next to him, while Ginny sat down next to the blonde and started chatting happily with her, much to the confusion of Harry. When Ginny saw him staring over at them, she gave a smile and introduced the blond.

"This is Luna Lovegood, she's in my grade, but in Ravenclaw."

Harry found that Luna was very strange, but not in a bad way. She gave off the impression that she didn't care about what others thought of her, and she always seemed happy no matter what. Neville showed them a plant that he got for his birthday and was about to poke it to see what it would do, but Ginny saw at the last second and stopped Neville before he could poke it. Harry found himself relieved, he wasn't sure it would of been good if Neville had poked the plant, it looked weird and threatening in a way to Harry. About twenty minutes later there was a knock on their compartment door, and Harry looked up to see Cho Chang.

If he could of Harry would of groaned, but he gave her a forced smile as she opened the compartment door. Harry wasn't exactly sure how Cho felt about him, he was worried that he led her on last year, even though he had liked her then, and if he did he knew things were about to get awkward.

"Hi, Harry." Cho started nervously, her eyes scanning the compartment.

"Hey Cho." Harry said kindly back, and offered a small smile.

"Can I talk to you for a moment alone?" She asked after a moment, the words slipping out of her mouth.  
Harry could of swore he saw Ginny tense at Cho's words, but tried his best to ignore it as he started to stand up.

"Sure." He said, not sounding it at all.

Harry placed his palm against the wall and heaved himself out of his seat and walked out of the compartment with Cho next to him, and she led him a little more down the hall where more empty compartments were, and stopped at a random one and opened the door, and together they walked inside. Cho sat opposite of him and twirled her hair around her finger nervously, and looked as though she was thinking over what she should say.

"What do you need to talk about?" Harry asked, filling the awkward silence.

"I-I heard about what happened to you this summer." She blurted out, and flushed slightly.

Harry froze in his seat, shocked by her bluntness's. He looked up and saw her face was now bright red, but she stood her ground as she stared back at him.

"I think everyone knows what happened, the Prophet didn't exactly hold back." Harry said after a moment of silence.

"Are you okay?" Cho asked with a tremble in her voice.

"Yeah," Harry said without thinking, "I got all patched up, I'm better now."

Cho's eyes roamed over Harry for a moment, as if searching for any physical sign of injury, and Harry tried his best not to blush as she examined him.

"It's awful, what happened to you, after everything that just happened in June."

It all clicked inside Harry's head at her words, why she wanted to speak to him. _Cedric._ Of course she would want answers from him, what happened and why Cedric was killed, but did she honestly believe he was in the right condition to tell her? After everything that happened to him this summer, everything he had been through, she thought he would want to answer her questions?

"Um, yeah, it was." He replied awkwardly.

Harry wanted to leave, to hurry down the hall and join Ginny, Neville and Luna back in their compartment, to avoid telling Cho that he couldn't give her the answers that she wanted, that it was too soon and he selfishly wanted to avoid those memories.

"Having to face him again after watching him come back to life, after killing C-Cedric." Cho said almost as soon as Harry shut his mouth, looking shyfully up at him.

"Cho..." Harry started slowly.

Cho looked down at the ground for a moment as she shuffled her feet together, and when she looked up at Harry against he was surprised at the tears forming in her eyes. He opened his mouth but hesitated, he had no clue how to comfort her.

"Please Harry, I need to know what happened to him, I need that closure." Cho begged him with a tremble in her voice.

"Cho, the only people that know about that are Dumbledore And Mr. and Mrs. Diggory, and they only know because Dumbledore forced me to tell him and his parents needed an answer. Everyone's been asking me what happened to him, and know their going to want to know more now. But I-I just can't, okay? It's too hard for me right now."

"But you told his parents." She whispered as a tear fell down her cheek.

"Because they just lost their child to Voldemort, something that could of easily happened to me." Harry just about snapped back.

She stared at him in slight shock, her mouth open with her bottom lip trembling as she thought over what she should say.

"I have to go, Ron and Hermione will be back soon and they need me to help them with their Prefect duties." Harry lied as he stood up, and reached for the compartment door.

"Harry-" She started, but he had already shut the door behind him as he hurried down the hall.

* * *

A/N: Ugh. I feel terrible. I haven't had wifi for most of the week and was helping my family move, it was torture. The moving boxes I could handle, but the no wifi almost killed me. Anyway, here's the next chapter and hopefully the next one will be up tomorrow. If I don't get the chance to say it tomorrow, Happy Memorial Day!


	17. Chapter 17: Flashes

"You just left her like that? Crying in a compartment?" Ron asked in amazement.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville and Luna were walking up the path to the carriages, and since Neville and Luna were so caught up in a conversation that Harry, Ron and Hermione had fallen behind a little so Harry could tell them what had happened earlier.

"I wasn't going to just stand there and let her pressure me into telling her." Harry replied calmly.

Ron opened his mouth to say something, but thought better of it a moment later and shut it again, which Harry thought was very smart of him. Hermione just kept her lips pursed and said nothing, walking alongside them with her eyes pointed straight ahead. Ron, who had just noticed the silence that surrounded them, looked at her.

"Well? You've been awfully quiet, what do you think?" Ron asked her.

She bit her bottom lip and glanced over at Harry quickly, and when he looked back she avoided his gaze and looked over at Ron for another moment before she answered him.

"Well, it might of not been the best move, Harry." She said hesitantly.

Harry looked at her with disbelief, and opened his mouth to retort, but she quickly cut him off.

"I know that's not what you want to hear right now, Harry, but speaking as I girl I know how she must feel. I mean I know where you're coming from too, but I understand what she's probably thinking right now." Hermione said rather quickly to defend herself.

Harry closed his mouth and gritted his teeth together, but gave a small nod of his head. Ron and Hermione watched him subtly as he thought over it, and after a moment Harry could see where Hermione was coming from.

"I guess your right." He mumbled, giving Hermione a guilty smile.

Hermione gave a bright smile in return, hitching her bag over her shoulder more securely as they continued down the uneven path towards the school carriages.

"Of course I'm right Harry, when have I never been?" She said teasingly, her brown eyes sparkling as Ron and Harry gave snorts of laughter. "Besides, I thought you liked Cho, what happened?" Hermione asked with a sly grin.

Harry choke on his own spit and looked at her, coughing as his cheeks started to turn red. She kept her grin on her face, watching him in amusement.

"You okay, mate?" Ron asked, patting him on the back.

Hermione watched as Harry's eyes nervously glanced at Ron and then to Ginny's back, and had to bite her lip to keep herself from laughing as Harry spluttered to answer.

"F-fine, and no Hermione, I don't like her anymore. She gets to emotion sometimes, is that normal for a girl Hermione? You don't get moody a lot, well, only when Ron's around." Harry responded.

It was Hermione's turn to blush.

"I do not!" Hermione snapped, glaring daggers at Harry, who laughed.

"Whatever you say Hermione." Harry shot back.

Ron looked at both of them, before shaking his head and started to walk a little faster to catch up with the rest of the group.

"You both are bloody crazy!" Ron said playfully over his shoulder.

Harry and Hermione chuckled, and Harry watched as Hermione's eyes followed Ron. With a smirk he hurried to catch up too, stopping for a moment to whisper in Hermione's ear.

"I guess we both have a thing for red heads."

* * *

"How could you not see them? They were standing right in front of the bloody carriage!" Harry exclaimed as he, Ron and Hermione made their way towards the Great Hall.

"Harry, nothing was pulling the carriage, it was pulling itself like it always does." Hermione said, her eyebrows pulled together.

Harry looked at her incredulously, his mind spinning. The horses were huge and had wings, how in the hell had she or Ron not seen it? _The horses were right in front of them for crying out loud_! But he decided not to push it as they entered the Great Hall, not wanting anyone to hear him and think he was mental, it would just give people more of a reason to talk about him. As they started to make their way to the Gryffindor table Harry noticed the level of noise in the hall was down, and felt the back of his neck prickle as he felt people watching him. Harry averted his eyes and looked straight at the Gryffindor table, ignoring the attention that was being given to him.

He felt the corner of his mouth pick up as Ron and Hermione started talking a bit louder, noticing his discomfort, trying to get the attention off of him. He glanced up at them for a moment with a thankful smile before he went back to staring at his own feet, which were more interesting than the students watching him. Thankfully by the time all three sat down the volume in the Hall went up again, and Harry felt the tension leave his body for the first time since he walked onto the train that day.

Looking up at the staff table he watched the teachers talk amongst each other, and let his eyes scan over each one, looking for anything out of place. Right away he noticed Hagrid was missing, and felt shock run through him for a moment, and noticed a new face at the table besides Tonks, but couldn't think of who it was. The next thing he noticed was that McGonagall was missing, but Harry knew that she was collecting the first years to be sorted. With a jolt he realized this would be the first sorting he'd seen since his own.

"Harry!" A voice next to him said in a loud whisper.

Harry jumped a little and whipped his head to the side, and looked at Ginny with startled green eyes.

"Are you okay?" She asked in a small voice.

"Yeah, you just startled me out of my thoughts." He replied with a forced smile.

"The sorting's about to begin."

He nodded and raised his eyes up, following the little first years who waited nervously to be sorted. As McGonagall called them up to the sorting hat, Harry watched the first years scurry to the stool, a small smile upon his face. Then out of nowhere his scar seared with a burning pain at the same time an image flashed inside his head of him on the ground at the Riddle House, soaked in blood and leaning on the ground, obviously holding back screams of pain. Harry kept his eyes closed as a shiver ran through his body, and took a deep breath. _It's over, it's all over_. He chanted inside his head, but he found himself panicking, not really knowing why. Harry looked up quickly to see if anyone was watching him, whether student or teacher, and was relieved to find no eyes on him at the moment, and averted his eyes down to the ground.

Why was he suddenly having flash backs of what happened at the Riddle House? Normally he could control where his thoughts went, so why couldn't he right now? He felt unease rise inside him like bile, something wasn't right. Maybe Sirius was right, I'm not ready to be here, not right now. As soon as the thought entered his mind Harry tried to shake it off, he was meant to be here, Hogwarts was his home. He was safe. Looking up at the staff table Harry could see Dumbledore giving him beginning of the year speech, but easily blocked what he was saying as he calmed himself down.

He knew there was something wrong, but he refused to believe that it was because he was at Hogwarts like he knew Sirius would. But Sirius wouldn't know this happened, Harry already knew what he would say and didn't like it at all. He was staying, staying with his friends and at the castle he called home, and wouldn't let anyone take it away from him. Shaking himself slightly to get rid of the all the thoughts inside his head, Harry looked back up and tried to listen to what Dumbledore was saying.

* * *

_Harry wandered down the corridor, his eyes frantically searching for any door that he could find, and turning down the next corridor a trickle of excitement went through him as he saw a door down the hall. His feet started to hurry down the hall without him aware, but he found himself not caring. He started to sweat as his heart picked up, he was finally close to what he was searching for- _

_Suddenly a figure emerged out of the shadows, making Harry jump back as if he had been shocked. Straining his eyes, he tried to make out who the figure was, but it was too dark. Fear replaced excitement as the figure approached him, a sense of dread filling him, and as the shadowy figure stepped into the light, Harry clenched his teeth together to hold back his scream. His red eyes glowed in the eerie darkness in the corridor, the too familiar sinister smile forming his lips, his cloak making it seem as though he was floating with each step he took as Harry stepped back. Voldemort continued to walk until he had Harry cornered by the door, looking like a scared child as he crouched as far as he could, trying to use the shadows to shield him. _

_"There's no use in hiding from me, Harry, I'll always find you." Voldemort sneered, his voice echoing down the hall. _

_Harry flinched away, anger and fear mixing in his body. He wanted to do something, anything - but his body ignored his protesting mind. His eyes widened as he saw Voldemort pull out his wand, pointing it straight at Harry, who squeezed his eyes shut while his mind screamed for help. Voldemorts laughter filled his ears as he heard a curse fired, and just barely made out the green light behind his eyelids-_

With a jolt Harry opened his eyes, sitting up quickly so his eyes could search the room, but found his vision blurry. His shaky hands searched wildly for his glasses, and he jammed them onto his face as he pulled a curtain out of way to see the room. With a sigh of relief the Gryffindor dormitory came into focus, and as he became aware of his surroundings Harry could hear the breathing and snoring of the other fifth years in the room. Taking in a deep breath, Harry pushed his hand through his sweaty hair, leaning his body back until his back hit the mattress, trying to make his body relax.

_It was just a damn dream_, Harry thought to himself, pulling the covers he kicked off the bed over his body. But as images flashed inside his head of Voldemort, and the cold humorless laugh filled his eyes, he couldn't help but think it wasn't. This is starting to get out of hand, Harry thought as he felt his body tremble from his dream. Was he becoming paranoid? Was his mind conscious or not going to keep reminding him of the danger that was awaiting him in the future?

Sirius. He might know why this is happening, maybe this was how it was like for him when he was in Azkaban, and maybe even after. But as Harry pulled back his covers to get out of the bed, realization hit him. It had only been one day and he was going to go crying to Sirius. Was he really that weak? Could Voldemort of made him soft? If there was one thing Harry hated more than Voldemort, it was showing weakness. To him that was telling someone the perfect way to destroy you, and he refused to do that.

With a sigh he pulled the covers back over him, welcoming the warmth it brought to his body, and as a tired calmness creped over him he felt his heart calm and his trembling stop, and shut his tired eyelids. Don't worry about it now, it's not big deal. Harry thought vaguely as he drifted off to sleep. Only time would show Harry how wrong he was.

* * *

The next two weeks past in a blur for Harry: classes, homework and catching up with friends left him no time to wonder about the events of his first day back or the confusing dreams of the corridor he had at night. But Harry was glad, he didn't like thinking about it, so he gladly accepted the distractions. His remaining injuries were hardly a bother anymore with the help of Madam Pomfrey, and they didn't hurt him as much as they used to. The only problem that he had to face daily was Snape, who took them and the Slytherins for potions. Harry was still angry - no infuriated - with the overgrown bat, and was glad that Snape had gotten the message loud and clear. He ignored Harry whenever possible and no longer humiliated him in front of the class, something that did not go unnoticed by the very disappointed Slytherins.

This is how it should be, Harry thought in annoyance as he sat in the Great Hall, pushing his breakfast around on his plate and ignoring the glares he was receiving from Ginny and Hermione. Harry glanced up at them and gave a smile, popping a piece of bacon into his mouth for their benefit. It seemed Mrs. Weasley had them watching Harry like a hawk to make sure he was eating, which amused him as such as it annoyed him. Hermione rolled her eyes at him and returned her attention back to the Daily Prophet in her hand, her eyes scanning over the articles.

Ron chose that moment to join them, plopping down next to Harry and making himself a large plate of breakfast. He made small talk with Harry as they ate. Then, to entertain Harry, Ron searched through the Great Hall for anyone embarrassing themselves and pointed it out to Harry the moment he saw it, his own little revenge for all the attention they paid Harry recently.

"What are you staring at, Gin?" Ron suddenly asked.

Harry turned his head around in time to see Ginny's eyes glance away from him, a pink blush making itself noticeable on her cheeks. Harry himself tried not to blush as he looked at her, fighting a smile, as she stumbled for an answer.

"I-I thought I saw something on Harry's face." Ginny muttered, looking apologetically at Harry.

At that moment Harry saw Hermione's head perk up and look over at them, as her eyes met his own, Hermione gave Harry a knowing look he was getting quite used to, he shook his head in response.

"He does, and don't pity him for it, he was born with that face." Ron said while he rolled his eyes playfully.  
"OI!" Harry exclaimed in mock-offence as the others laughed.

Harry shoved his elbow into Ron's chest, a lazy smirk on his face as he heard Ron gasp.

"You wish you had my stunningly good looks, not everyone is as blessed as I am." Harry said, brushing his hand through his messy hair.

"More like cursed." Ron muttered to Ginny, who bit her lip to keep herself from laughing.

"Why're you Weasleys picking on me today? I can understand Ron since he's a git, but you offend me Gin." Harry said with a hand over his heart.

"You know what Harry? I think you're right, I never side with Ron. I'm joining Team Potter." Ginny said with a smirk, throwing her last piece of toast at Ron.

Harry and Ginny laughed at Ron who was removing the sticky bread from his face and turning red as he tried to wipe the butter and jam off his cheek. Hermione scooted closer to Ginny and grabbed a piece of bacon from the girl's plate and aimed it at Harry who jumped as it hit his face.

"Look at what you did, Potter, turning blood against blood! You ought to be ashamed of yourself." Hermione tried to speak sternly but she couldn't hide her smile.

"I can't help myself, M'ione, Ginny's such a fantastic person to side with, have you seen her Bat-Bogey Hex?" Harry replied playfully.

"But I'm your brother!" Ron said to Ginny, throwing his hands in the air.

"I've got better brothers than you Ronnie." Ginny replied as she took a sip of pumpkin juice.

Harry snickered a little too loudly and was hit full in the face with Hermione's Daily Prophet, courtesy of Ron. They all burst into laughter, enjoying their playful banter. After a minute, Hermione wiped away a tear that had escaped the corner of her eye and checked her watch, with a small gasp she jumped out of her seat.

"We've got to go guys, Charms starts in fifteen minutes and the halls are bound to be full, we'd better hurry." Hermione said as she grabbed her bag.

Harry and Ron hurried out of their seats too and grabbed their own bags. Ginny smiled at them, as they hurried off, finishing her breakfast.

"Have fun!" Ginny yelled at them as they left the Great Hall, rolling her eyes at the rude hand gesture Ron gave her in response.

* * *

"Bloody hell! How does the teacher expect us to get all this done!" Ron exclaimed as he hitched his bag over his shoulder more securely.

Harry, Ron and Hermione were making their way back to the Gryffindor Tower after Charms, more out of breath than usual, with all the books they were carrying.

"Don't exaggerate, with the help of a study schedule you should be able to get all of your work done in time." Hermione told him with a sigh.

"Bloody hell, not this again." Ron leaned over to whisper in Harry's ear, who had to turn his head to keep Hermione from seeing him laugh.

Ron chose not to answer Hermione but rather he just gave a small shake of his head. She didn't notice. They kept walking until they reached the Fat Lady.

"Mimbulus mimbletonia." Harry spoke the password before he was asked and together they entered the Gryffindor common room.

Harry and Ron walked over to a small desk near the boys dormitories while Hermione headed to her dorm.

They set their bags down, throwing themselves into chairs, and started sorting through their homework, searching for something easy to do first.

"Did you have any clue what Flitwick was saying earlier?" Ron asked, holding their Charms homework in his hands.

"I wasn't paying attention either you dunderhead, we were playing hangman on the corner of my paper."

"Oh yeah." Ron chuckled.

"We're just reviewing Summoning Charms right now, the homework shouldn't be too hard - let me see it... 'Explain the history of Summoning Charms'... We'll ask Hermione about that later..."

Ron nodded his head and threw the homework into a small pile next to him then began to dig through his bag for something else.

"What about the Dream Journals? Did you write in it for last night?" Harry asked, searching his bag for the journal.

"No, not yet, since I don't remember what I was dreaming 'bout last night but it'll take me ten seconds to make something up." Ron muttered as he opened the journal to the right page and grabbed his quill.

"I still can't believe Trelawney's making us do this." Harry said as he started writing.

"The woman's completely nuts." Ron replied as he dipped his quill in ink.

They sat in silence as they finished writing in the Dream Journals, concentrating so they wouldn't forget the details they had made up in their head for their 'dreams'. When Ron finished he put the journal away and took out his Prefect schedule, forgetting what day he and Hermione had to patrol the hallways.

"FRED! GEORGE!" A loud voice screeched.

Harry jumped and looked up, searching for the source of noise, when he finally found it he shared a glance with Ron, knowing what was coming next. Hermione had her hands on her hips as Fred and George walked up to her, mischievous grins on their faces as they stared at her, not at all intimidated.

"Yes?" George questioned, arching one of his eyebrows.

"Didn't I tell you to get rid of these?" Hermione questioned angrily, shoving a piece of paper in his face.

"It's amazing isn't it, Fred? How much our dear Hermione sounds like mum."

"Absolutely incredible." Fred replied.

Harry chuckled as he looked over at Ron who had a smirk on his face as he watched Hermione yell at someone else for once. Harry turned his attention back to the papers in front of him, trying to ignore Hermione arguing with the twins as he searched for the rest of the homework he had to get done.

"Harry?" A familiar voice said to his right, he turned to look up at her as he put his quill down.

"Yeah, Gin?" He asked.

"Hedwig came after you left the Hall and gave me your mail since she couldn't find you." She said as she held out an envelope to him.

'Thanks Ginny." Harry replied with a smile as he took the envelope from her and started t open it, but stopped as he saw who sent it to him. "Excuse me, I'll be right back." Harry muttered.

He got off his chair quickly and hurried up Gryffindor tower until he reached his room - thankfully empty - and sat down on his bed as he finished opening the letter.

_Harry,_  
_I'm sorry I haven't been writing, things with the Order are a little crazy at the moment. How is school going? Tonks said that you've been doing excellently in your classes recently, even with all the OWL work. And before you ask, yes, it does get worse. How have you been feeling? Any dizzy spills? Are your nightmares getting better? Any scar pain? I know I must sound annoying, but I need to know. Please reply as soon as possible, but don't put too much, just in case the letter falls into the wrong hands._  
_Love Snuffles_

Harry stared at the parchment for a moment, his emotions conflicted. Should he tell Sirius about the dreams he had been having? The searing pain on his scar that gave him a vision? Part of his mind was screaming yes, while the other part was telling him no. Harry was torn: whether to tell Sirius what had happened and look weak or say no and deal with it by himself. He reached into the drawer in the bedside table and grabbed a piece of spare parchment along with a quill and ink. As he wrote, he left out what had happened on the first day.

"Harry!" Hermione called for him from the bottom of the stairs.

"Hold on a moment!" Harry called back.

Harry quickly signed his name on the bottom of the letter and sealed it in an envelope. As he went to place it in the drawer, he saw a flash of white by the window.

"Hedwig." Harry breathed as he hurried towards the window.

Harry undid the latch that kept the window shut and opened it wide, letting Hedwig fly in, she then landed on his shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze with her claws.

"Hey there girl." Harry said as he stroked her feathers, and in return she nipped his ear affectionately.

"I need you to send this to Sirius, I know the letter says something else; but it's for Sirius." Harry told her.

Hedwig nipped his ear again and Harry took it that she understood, when she held her leg out to him Harry tied the letter there and stroked her feathers once again before she flew back out the window. Harry watched her soar, away into the distance, with the letter for Sirius secured tightly to her leg.


	18. Chapter 18: Closer

Harry's body jolted, a small gasp leaving his mouth as he awoke. Keeping his eyes closed, he took deep breaths to slow his heart rate and try to calm himself. _Another dream, just another dream_. He frantically reassured himself, ignoring the prickling feeling in his scar as he sat up on his elbows and wiped the sweat from his brow. After a minute, he felt calmer and had regained control of himself. He lay back down, kicking the covers off his overheated body as he did so. Harry felt confused, he hadn't had a dream about Voldemort for over a month now, what was happening?

Deciding not to let his sluggish brain think too much about it, Harry closed his eyes and tried to fall back asleep. After about half an hour of watching the clock turn from two-thirty to three, Harry gave up on the idea. He hoisted himself out of the bed and placed his feet on the freezing floor, quickly slipping his glasses onto his nose before getting off the bed and heading down to the common room. It was empty so he headed towards the couch closest to the fireplace.

As he sat down, Harry felt the tingling sensation in his scar heighten and once again tried to ignore it, not wanting to deal with it at that moment. Instead he lay down on the couch and placed a cold hand over his forehead, sighing as it soothed his heated skin. _I'm probably just sick_, Harry thought hopefully as he switched hands, using the other one to wipe away some of the sweat on his chest. That's when the pain hit him. Harry gave a garbled mixture of a yelp and a gasp, the hand on his forehead shooting over to his scar and pressing against it, his body doubling over as he tried to bear the pain.

Swearing as he tried to catch his breath, Harry rolled onto his side and quickly checked his hand for any blood from his scar. He was relieved when he found none. At that moment, an even more agonizing pain shot through his scar and a strangled cry escaped his mouth. He rushed to put his hand back over his scar but the sharp movement jolted his body and sent him crashing to the floor. At this point Harry didn't care where he was, all he could focus on was the pain that was consuming him, nothing he did could relieve it-

"Hello?" A quiet voice asked from near the girls dormitory.

Harry couldn't pick up his head to see who had come down, at this point couldn't care less who saw him, only wishing to be relieved of the hellish pain he was enduring.

"Harry!" The voice said loudly.

Harry cracked his eyes open and found his vision blurry, out of the corner of his eye he could see his glasses laying near his shoulder, he tried to focus on the figure approaching him.

"Hermione?" He managed to croak out.

Hermione rushed over and kneeled by his side, putting her cold, soft hands on either side of his face, as she came into focus Harry could see how scared and alarmed she was at the sight of him. Her face was pale and her voice shook with panic.

"What happened? What hurts? God damn it! Sirius was right, you weren't ready..!" She muttered frantically, searching him for injuries.

"It's my bloody scar, M'ione." Harry whispered.

Before she could respond, Harry cried out as the pain intensified, radiating through his jerking body, engulfing him in hell. He could feel Hermione trying to restrain his body and could only just hear her muttering under her breath, trying her best to console him.

"Hermione? What's wrong?" A familiar voice said nearby.

"George! Please, help me!" Hermione begged, sounding close to tears.

"What's going on - Harry!" George said, sounding startled.

Suddenly Harry felt another pair of arms touching him and, as he felt his consciousness start to leave him, was glad someone else besides Hermione was there to help him. His relief was short lived as the pain flared up again and, with one last choked gasp, Harry blacked out.

* * *

He could feel hands touching his forehead, neck, checking his pulse, someone smoothing back his hair. Harry breathed in through his nose and swallowed, his mouth forming a grimace as he tasted the potions that must have been forced down his throat and making his stomach churn uncomfortably. Harry shifted on the bed so his back wasn't in a painful position. As he did he felt a not uncomfortable weight on his feet but couldn't figure out what it was. It didn't matter though, Harry felt comfortable and safe where he was, the pain was finally gone.

"Are they still here?" A feminine voice interrupted his momentary bliss from nearby.

"Yes, they just went to the kitchens for a quick lunch." A man's voice replied.

"I understand Albus excused everyone from classes today, I do, but they don't need to stay in here, they can't expect Potter to wake up so quickly." The woman said irritably.

It took Harry a moment before he recognized the voice of Madam Pomfrey, only then did he realize that he was in the Hospital Wing. _What a surprise_, Harry thought sarcastically.

"They're his friends, I would have done the same for mine - I still do." He heard the male voice say, right next to him, and felt his hair smoothed back again.

Silence fell in the room, the only sounds were the other people in the room breathing and the birds chirping outside. Harry didn't like the silence, it made him feel awkward, the center of attention, and right now he knew he was. He almost sighed in relief when he heard the Hospital Wing door open and more than one person enter. The group of people were talking and, after a moment of concentration, he realized it was Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Fred and George. Harry couldn't tell what they were talking about but he didn't like the tone of their voices.

"Is he awake yet, Remus?" Hermione asked, and Harry felt the mattress dip as her and someone else - Ginny, he thought - sat on the bed.

Harry heard a sigh next to him. "No, not yet. Poppy can't pinpoint when exactly he'll wake up, but with the potions she's been feeding him it should be soon." Remus responded.

After a moment of silence, Fred started up a conversation about Quidditch in which everyone but Hermione gladly participated. Harry sat there content to just hear his friends voices, in a way, reassuring him that he was okay. He should have known it wouldn't last for long as a sharp bolt of pain went through his scar like lightening. He lifted his hand to his scar instinctively, his face scrunching up in pain.

"Harry?" Ginny asked, placing a soft hand over his.

Harry opened his eyes and relaxed his arm down as the pain faded into nothing. He looked around at the blurry people who surrounded him.

"Here,'" Remus said, handing Harry his glasses, "I fixed the crack on the lens for you."

Harry took his glasses from Remus and placed them on his face. For a moment he was confused by what Remus said then he realized he must have broken them when he fell.

"Thank you." Harry croaked, his throat dry.

Remus forced a smile, looking tired and drained as he shifted on the chair next to Harry's bed. Harry smiled back and looked to his group of friends, all of whom looked at him anxiously, somewhat apprehensive, as if approaching a spooked animal.

"You don't have to worry, I'm fine." Harry told them, trying to reassure them.

"No you aren't, I saw you. If that's your definition of 'fine' then you're even crazier than I thought." George said, his voice stern.

Harry resisted the urge to roll his eyes and settled on grabbing a fistful of his blankets, trying to relief his sudden annoyance.

"It was just Vol-" Harry started, but was cut off.

"It wasn't just that, Harry! You were thrashing around on the floor screaming, and knowing your high tolerance of pain it must have been one hell of a mood swing from You-Know-Who." Ron growled out, glaring at Harry.

Harry opened his mouth but nothing came out, he had nothing to say. He knew Ron was right, he couldn't deny it. Harry huffed in annoyance and laid back against his pillows, looking away from Ron. His eyes widened for a moment when he saw a large, black dog laying at his feet, looking at him with big eyes.

"Padfoot." He whispered, the dog gave a little whine and moved closer to Harry, laying one paw on Harry's leg.

"How are you feeling?" Hermione asked quickly, her eyes watching him carefully.

"I'm better." Harry replied after a moment.

He hardly noticed the silence that fell again as he looked at Sirius and then a moment later at Remus, confused as to why they were here with him. As he opened his mouth to voice his thoughts another shot of pain when through his scar and, for a moment, he felt excited and happy. It took a minute for the pain to go away and confusion replaced the foreign giddiness in him.

"Something big must have happened." Harry muttered as he rubbed at his scar, which was a little redder than usual.

Harry glanced up in time to see almost everyone shift uncomfortably, looking hesitant to say anything. He noticed Ginny almost spoke but her big brown eyes glanced around the room and she bit down on her lower lip, keeping the words inside her mouth.

"So I'm right, what happened? What did Voldemort do?" Harry asked, worry resonating from his voice.  
He ignored the inadvertent flinches from the Weasleys, his eyes glancing from Remus to his friends, expecting an answer from either of them. Even before any words had escaped their mouths, Harry guessed it was bad, Remus and Sirius were at Hogwarts with him, instead of at Headquarters, and he vaguely remembered Madam Pomfrey saying classes were canceled today.

"Voldemort attacked the Ministry last night, Harry, that's why your scar hurt so much. A few people died in the attack-" Hermione started but she couldn't finish: looking worried and, to Harry's horror, scared.

"Oh Merlin, who?"

"Fudge is dead."

Harry felt his jaw drop in shock, "What?"

"Fudge is dead, Voldemort killed him while his Death Eaters attacked the remaining employees." Remus responded, and Harry caught the tremble in his voice.

Harry saw Ron shudder out of the corner of his eye, and dread flared inside him.

"Mr. Weasley - " Harry gasped out with bulging eyes.

"No, no, no. He's fine. He left work early yesterday because of an Order meeting."

Harry sat on the bed in shock, hardly noticing the stares he was receiving. The Ministry was attacked by Voldemort, Fudge was killed. He couldn't wrap his brain around the idea. Was the Ministry ruined? Where did that leave the Wizarding World? Pandemonium? Fear? Both? Harry let out a shaky breath and opened his mouth, but Remus seemed to know what he was thinking and started talking.

"Dumbledore received word of what was going to happen the moment it before the attack, and arrived in time to make Voldemort leave the Ministry after he murdered Fudge. Right now Dumbledore is temporarily Minister until we can find someone new, and McGonagall will be temporary Headmaster of Hogwarts. After Dumbledore got the situation settled down somewhat he contacted me and Sirius at Grimmauld Place, and told us to come here because he believes Headquarters isn't safe at the moment. " Remus told him with forced calmness in his voice.

It took Harry a moment to take in what Remus just said, his mind sluggish from shock and tiredness. He slumped against the metal headboard behind him, his mouth open slightly as his mind processed everything.

"Would you give Harry and I a moment? Make sure to lock the door behind you, I don't want anyone wandering in." Remus said suddenly, his eyes glancing from Harry to Padfoot.

"Of course." Hermione muttered as the rest nodded in agreement, and together they left the Hospital Wing, the lock clicking behind them.

Almost as soon as the door shut Padfoot jumped off the bed, transforming into Sirius, shocking Harry with how pale and pinched his face looked. Harry knew Sirius was taking the news hard, because the last time he saw Sirius look this stressed was when they met in the Shrieking Shack in his third year. Sirius walked over to Harry and sat on his side, casually putting his arm around Harry's shoulders.

"How are you holding up, pup?" He asked instantly, his eyes roaming over Harry's figure.

"You have ears, you heard me before," Harry said with a roll of his eyes, desperately wanting to lighten the mood, but it didn't work. "I'm fine, the pain comes and goes, but not as bad as last night."

"Good." Sirius sighed, relief evident in his voice.

"We're lucky that we came here when we did," Remus said, switching back to the subject, "Because we have our hands on something of Voldemort's."

Harry instantly perked up, "On what?" He asked incredulously.

Remus reached into his pocket and searched for a minute, then his fingers came out with a chain dangling from them. Harry recognized it immediately - it was the locket he found over the summer.

"What would he want this that piece of shit? OI!" Harry yelled in surprise as Sirius smacked him upside the head.

"Watch your language." He said sternly, pointing his finger at Harry, but he couldn't keep the small smile from tugging at his lips.

"So now you're concerned about me swearing." Harry teased, momentarily forgetting the situation.

"Anyway," Remus interrupted, clearing his throat, "We know what it is, and why Voldemort would want to get his grubby little hands on it."

"What is it?" Harry asked eagerly.

"It's called a Horcrux."

* * *

Harry walked slowly up the staircase as he made his way to Gryffindor Tower, his mind reeling. He couldn't believe how desperate Voldemort was to continue living, to even consider tearing his soul into pieces. It was inhuman. Sick. Harry thought he was going to loose the contents in his stomach when Remus told him what a Horcrux was. Shaking his head as if the action would rid his thoughts, he tried to think of anything else, telling himself that Sirius and Remus had everything under control with the whole Horcrux thing, that they would take care of it.

"Mimbulus mimbletonia." Harry muttered to the Fat Lady as he approached her, and as the door swung opened he quickly entered the common room.

He noticed right away that it was almost empty, he saw Hermione and the Weasley's huddled together on the couch, a couple first years in the corner talking, and a few sixth and seventh years sitting at the chess table. Harry walked over to his friends and flopped down on the couch next to Fred, taking a deep breath.

"Madam Pomfrey actually let you out?" Ron blurted out from the couch in front of Harry, looking at him incredulously.

"I didn't get away so easily," Harry said with a smile as he grabbed a small bottle of out his robe pocket, "I have to take a dose of this for the next week."

He heard a chuckle escape Ron's mouth and felt the corners of his own mouth pick up, flashing a rare grin on his face.

"What happened after we left?" Ginny asked, looking at him curiously.

"Remus mentioned that Voldemort tried to take the Prophesy when he attacked." Harry said truthfully, but with a small shake of his head told them that that wasn't all, but he couldn't say.

"He didn't get it, did he?" George asked, eyes wide.

"No, but he was close. He went down the wrong corridor and ran into Dumbledore." Harry replied with relish.

He saw almost everyone smile at the thought, and he himself couldn't fight the smile on his face. He looked over at Hermione and noticed she was distant, she was the one usually asking him questions before anyone else could open their mouths.

"M'ione? You okay?" He asked her gently, glancing over at Ron to see if he knew, but was answered with a shrug and a frown.

"It's just a lot to take in," She started with a sigh, "Everything's happened so fast. He's getter closer and stronger, and I don't like it, it scares me."

"It scares us all, M'ione, " Ron - surprising - spoke up after a minute of silence, "No one likes the idea. But I'd rather have him attack know when we somewhat expect him to then to attack later when we don't. V-V-Voldemort's coming, but we won't make it easy for him."

Everyone stared at Ron for a moment, mixed between shock and awe at what he had said. George clapped his hand on Ron's shoulder and gave his younger brother an encouraging smile.

"Ronnie's right, he's coming sooner than we might of thought, but at least we knowing he's coming now and not later." George said, his voice and face rarely serious.

The words had the desired effect on everyone, but Harry felt the words hit him like a ton of bricks. Voldemort was coming, and he would come after Harry. A shudder ran through Harry at the thought, flashes of himself at the Riddle House playing like a movie inside his head. What would he do when he came face to face with Voldemort again? He felt his heartbeat quicken on its own accord at the thought, and closed his eyes as he took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. Harry told himself not to worry, but he mind shouted back _why not_? He had every right to worry.

"-What do you think, Harry?" George asked, snapping Harry out of his thoughts.

"Excuse me?" Harry asked, looking up.

"Do you think that there's gonna be new rules enforced because of what happened at the Ministry?" George repeated.

"I-I don't know, I can't think straight ... Excuse me." Harry said vaguely as he sat up, walking towards the Boy's Dorm as fast as he could without raising suspicion.

Harry felt eyes staring at his back and the effort failed, they knew something was wrong. You need to learn to be less suspicious, it would save you from the lectures, he thought irritably as he hurried up the stairs. As he walked into the room he kicked off the trainers he was wearing, shoving them under his bed with his foot as he sat, shrugging off his robe and unbuttoning his flannel shirt and throwing them on the floor, and laid on his back in nothing but a t-shirt and blue jeans with his wand sticking out of the pocket. He stared at the hanging on his bed, unconsciously picking lint off his blanket as he lost himself in his thoughts.

_Why is it always me_? His mind kept repeating, thinking of all the traumatic events in his life,_ I'm just a kid, I don't deserve this_. A soft chuckle left his mouth without his permission, no one deserved this. Harry closed his eyes and relaxed against the bed, his exhaustion from the day finally catching up to him. He felt himself start to drift off, and welcomed it, when he heard the door to the room open. Harry snapped his eyes open and sat straight up, his arm reaching for his wand as his eyes tried to make out who was in front of him. The person walked closer and stood in front of him, and even with his blurry vision he knew it was her. Ginny.

"Hey." He said softly, his hand enclosing over his glasses instead and secured them on top of his nose.

"Hi there sleepy head." She replied, sitting next to him on the bed.

Harry couldn't help but be aware of how close she was sitting next to him, on his bed. Harry felt his cheeks warm at the thought, and felt goosebumps rise on his arm were her skin was touching him. Was she aware of the affect she had on him? Did she know how crazy she drove him?

"What are you doing up here?" Harry found himself asking.

He looked over at her and saw a flicker of concern cross her features before she composed herself. "I saw your face when George said what he did. The prat shouldn't of even brought it in the first place! They all know how much pressure is on you right now, the brainless gits!" Ginny said angrily, her eyes blazing.

Without really thinking Harry placed his hand on top of hers on the bed, and felt the tension in her body ease. "They shouldn't have to watch what they say just because I'm in the room, I don't blame them. It just got me thinking."

Ginny sighed and ran her free hand through her ginger hair. "There you go thinking again." She muttered teasingly.

Harry chuckled, " I know, its dreadful. The Great and Mighty Harry Potter thinking! That's absurd."

Ginny giggled and shook her head, "I didn't mean it like that. I meant that some of the ideas that form in your head scream danger and you're deaf to any warnings."

Harry felt the smile slip off his face, but he knew she was right. _When was one of his ideas ever safe_? He looked down at his lap and gave a sigh, and to his surprise he felt her grip his hand tightly.

"I didn't mean to upset you, Harry. I just want you to know that, and before you ever do anything you believe you have to do please run past me, or Ron, Or Hermione, or someone in my family. All we want to do is help you, but you need to help us in return."

Harry sighed and looked away from her, but kept his hand in hers, holding it tightly. "It isn't easy for me to let people in." He admitted sheepishly.

"I know it's hard. I just want to understand that we're here for you, no matter what." Ginny replied with a small smile.

Harry felt himself flush slightly, not used to hearing people saying they cared for him. Ginny squeezed his hand tighter, and Harry looked up to see her dazzling smile, and felt a smile grow on his face.

"Thanks." He whispered.

She just smiled and leaned in closer to him, and Harry felt himself freeze and his eyes widen. What was she doing? He felt her lips brush against his cheek for a moment before she pulled away, her cheeks tinged pink. Ginny then pulled her hand out of his and sat up off the bed.

"Your welcome. Come down later if you want to, but if you don't, we understand. Today's been stressful on everyone."

And with that Ginny left the dorm, leaving a still stunned Harry on the bed. It took him a moment to gather his thoughts before a large smile grew on his face, his eyes bright as he touched his cheek, which he found warm from Ginny's lips and his own blush. Coming out of daze Harry laid back down on the bed, his arms folded behind his head as he let his exhaustion consume him. _Progress_, Harry thought tiredly before he fell asleep, his dreams filled with Ginny.


	19. Chapter 19: Practice Makes Perfect

The cold November air smacked against Harry's cheek as he sped up on his Firebolt, his eyes searching the Quidditch field for the Snitch. He felt Angelina's eyes on his back, watching him carefully, which Harry tried his best to ignore. When Harry signed up for Quidditch for Seeker she had talked to him about his health, as a Captain should, and wanted to make sure he was good enough to be playing Quidditch. Harry almost lost it at the idea of not being able to play Quidditch, and promised her right away that he would be fine to play. At the tryouts he sat with Angelina, Fred, George, and Katie, the only members left from the original Quidditch team from Harry's first year, and was surprised at a few people who showed up.

A few first years came and wanted to join the team, and Angelina would of let them if they were good, and not there just to stare at Harry. A lot of people did come to tryouts, but just like the first years, they came to watch Harry, and after watching her Seeker blush under their gazes she shouted at them to leave the pitch. The people who did stay caught Harry's attention, one of them being his best friend.

"Why didn't you tell me that you were trying out?" Harry shouted at Ron over the mind as he threw a Quaffle in his direction.

"Things have been hectic lately, and I didn't want anyone to make jokes." Ron replied back, and Harry saw his eyes dart towards the twins who were hitting Bludgers with their bats.

After the tryouts Harry was delighted to find out that Ron made the team, replacing Oliver Wood, who left at the end of Harry's third year. After that Harry used his free time to show Ron the strategies the team usually used, wanting to help Ron, who was stressing over the match that was coming up against Slytherin.

In the past month a lot had changed for the Wizarding World. For one, the people who had still believed Voldemort had not returned were hit with the truth, Minister Scrigomore replaced Fudge, and Death Eater activity was high. Reports of kidnappings and murders were in the Daily Prophet every week, and Muggle's were turning up dead under the Dark Mark. It gave the Ministry a lot of work to do, and tested their new Minister as to what he would do to stop. He was doing good so far, better than Fudge, and Harry believed it was because he used to be Head Auror, and from what Tonk's had mentioned to Harry, he was very good at his job.

Harry ducked as he saw a Bludger come at him out of the corner of his eye, and flatten himself against his broom before it could crack his head open.

"OI! Watch where you hit those!" Harry shouted at Fred, who grinned back.

"Then don't stay in a spot for more than five minutes daydreaming!" Fred shouted back teasingly.

Harry called Fred something nasty that he had heard Ron mutter a few times and zoomed off, searching for the Snitch once again.

* * *

"Okay class! Put your books away today, I think we've read up of strategy enough to start practicing, don't you agree?" Tonk's told the class, rolling the blinds up on the windows with her wand.

Tonk's rolled the sleeves up on her green robes, turning around to looked at them, and showing what she looked like today. She had a thin face with bright green eyes and dirty blonde hair that was pulled up into a pony tail, which surprised Harry, used to her normally bubble pink hair. It was amusing at the start of term to watch peoples reactions when they saw Tonk's everyday, wondering how she could change her appearance so quickly.

Sighs rang across the room as everyone put away their books, tired of all the reading they had lately. Harry grinned as he grabbed his wand out of his pocket, excited for this defense lesson. Ron leaned across his desk and started muttering to Harry about what he wanted to learn, and Harry eagerly joined in, ignoring the glare Hermione was sending in their direction for not paying attention to Tonk's.

"Aright you lot, lets get started," Tonk's said, glancing in Harry and Ron's direction, and watched as they both gave guilty grins, "Today we'll be practicing the Stunning Spell. Now as you all know, the key behind the spell is to focus on your target and your target only, don't let anything else distract you, including your target. You can't let your mind wander to what your opponent might throw at you and what your next move will be, or your spell will fail and your chances of winning will decrease. Now, I need help in moving the desks so we have room to practice."

Everyone hurried out of their desks and used simple Levitating Charms to move them against the walls, and eagerly made a circle around Tonk's, then waited for her to instruct them.

"Now, just to refresh your memories, the incantation is 'Stupefy', and you just point your wand directly at your intended target. I'll demonstrate first, only volunteers?" Tonk's flashed a grin at them, her eyes scanning them.

When no one volunteered Tonk's picked Seamus as her target, who stood in front of her looking at her wand with curious eyes.

"You ready, Mr. Finnegan?" Tonk's asked, raising her wand.

Seamus nodded his head hesitantly and closed his eyes tight, not wanting to see the spell hit him.

"_Stupefy_!" Tonk's shouted, and the class watched as the red jet of light zoomed towards Seamus and hit him straight in the chest, and a small gasp of surprise escaped Seamus before he collapsed to the ground unconscious. Most of the class clapped, and just to amuse them Tonk's bowed dramatically.

"I think Sirius is a bad influence on her." Ron muttered in Harry's ear, who chocked back a fit of laughter.

Tonk's walked over to Seamus and poked him with her wand, "See? Completely unconscious! This spell is used in combat mostly, and effectively ends a duel. Ah, I think I should of had you lot grab out mats, I think Mr. Finnegan hit his head hard.." Tonk's blushed and waved her wand once again,

"_Ennervate_!"

Seamus grumbled and opened his eyes, bringing his hand to his head and cradling it. Tonk's waved her wand over his head once again and the bump forming on Seamus' head disappeared, much to his relief. After Seamus got up the class used their wands to put mats all over the floor until the whole room was covered with them. Harry and Ron partnered up together and Hermione paired with Parvarti, and they all waited for Tonk's next instructions.

"You'll be taking turns in Stunning your partner, and we'll only Stun about three times, for health reasons and some pride," The class laughed, "Now, what are you all waiting for? Get started you lot!"

Harry gripped his wand tightly in his hand and got into his dueling stance, and smirked at Ron across from him.

"Who's going first?" Harry asked, feeling adrenaline racing through him.

"I don't know, how about I-"

"_Stupefy!"_ Harry yelled, his wand pointed at Ron's chest.

Harry watched in amusement as Ron's eyes widen as he realized what was about to happen, and as the spell hit him in the chest, Harry laughed as Ron fell backwards. Hermione, who had just Stunned Parvarti, glanced over as Harry started laughing, and as she looked towards Ron she realized what happened.

"Boys." She muttered, shaking her head.

"You should of seen his face, M'ione." Harry choked out as he walked over towards Ron.

Harry could practically hear Hermione roll her eyes at him and he kneeled next to Ron, and pointed his wand straight at Ron's chest. When Harry woke up Ron he backed up just in case Ron wanted to get his revenge, but Ron broke out into a fit of laughter, with Harry joining him a moment later. Harry and Ron spent the rest of the hour practicing their Stunning, joking around as they did, much to Hermione annoyance and amusement. When class ended they started towards the door, talking about the lesson.

"Harry," Tonk's called, "Will you stay behind? I need to talk to you about something."

Harry nodded and waved off Ron and Hermione, who were going to wait, and told them to go to head off to Gryffindor Tower without him. When they left Harry walked over to Tonk's following her up the stairs to her office. When he walked in he sat in the chair in front of Tonk's desk, his eyes wondered around the office. No matter how times he had been in here already it stilled amazed him how eerily similar it looked to when Remus worked here. Tonk's settled behind her desk and moved papers out of her way and clasped her hands together on top of the desk.

"I spoke to Sirius this morning," She started, catching Harry's interest, "And as you know him, Remus, and Dumbledore have been working on finding a way to destroy the locket, and they believe they found a way to destroy it."

Harry nodded his head, "Okay, did he just want you to tell me or-?"

She smiled at him, "The problem is that they can't get to it. Only someone who can speak Parseltongue can access where they need to go."

Harry's eyebrows pulled together in confusion, "What are you...? Oh!"

_The Chamber of Secrets. How stupid was he? _

"But what do they need from there?" Harry asked.

"They've tried everything to destroy the locket, and Dumbledore believes that Basilisk venom might be the key to destroying the locket. Dumbledore agreed to wait until a time convenient to you, he doesn't want to interfere with your studies, and he doesn't know how long it will take."

Harry tried to remember how much homework he had this weekend, and when he did figure it out he contemplated how long it would take to do.

"If I finish my work today and part of tomorrow I could do it tomorrow evening." Harry told her.

"Are you sure? It's your Saturday, don't you want to spend it with your friends?" Tonk's questioned.

Harry smiled, "Don't worry about me Tonk's, I'm sure my friends can handle not being around me for a few hours."

Tonk's laughed a moment when chewed on her lower lip, "What about you? Will you be able to handle it?" She asked.

Harry smile became forced, "I'm tired of people worrying over me, Tonk's, it's been four months, I'm fine."

"Harry," Tonk's said with a sigh, "Your just a fifteen year old kid, and a very good one, of course I'll worry. I saw you when you came back from him, and no one would be fine eater that. I know that you must be annoyed with the constant watching and worry, but just suck it up, because we won't stop."

Harry sighed and ran his hands through his wild hair, and gave a nod of defeat, "I guess your right." He muttered.

"Of course I'm right Harry, you'll learn one way or the other that all girls are right. Remember that." Tonk's said with a wink.

Harry let out a snort and shook his head, rising out of his chair.

"Goodnight Harry."

"'Night Tonk's.

* * *

Harry felt someone inch closer to him as he signed his name on his paper, and set it in the pile of homework near his elbow. Looking up, he saw it was Hermione, who was looking at the pile in awe.

"You never do your homework until the last minute like Ron, what's going on?" She asked, sitting next to him at the table.

Harry glanced around the library and found only a handful of people scattered around, reading, or like him, finishing their homework.

"Nothing, Dumbledore needs me to help with something and I told him I would do it today after I finished my work. Why aren't you with Ron? Or Ginny for that matter?"

Hermione sat down in the chair next to Harry and grabbed the top piece of parchment off his pile of homework and started to read it, giving a small sigh as she did.

"Ron and I got into an argument earlier, and Ginny is working on a project for Flitwick's class. Is there anything I could help you with before you have to go?" Hermione asked, placing is homework back in its pile.  
Harry smiled, finishing up a question on his Transfiguration homework, "No, this is my last paper and I'm just about done. I feel bad about leaving you alone on a Saturday night."

Hermione gave a wave of her hand, "It's not a problem, I want to catch up on my reading since I haven't been about to lately."

Harry nodded, and they both sat in silence while Harry finished up his homework, and Hermione helped him pack everything away. After muttering a 'thank you', he and Hermione walked out of the library together.  
"I'll see you when you get back, Harry. Good luck." Hermione told him, giving him a warm smile as she made her down the hall and turned the corner, making her way to the Common Room.

Harry smiled to himself as he turned down the hall to his left, glad that Hermione didn't bother him with questions of what he was about to do, because he found himself not wanting anyone else to know. Losing himself in his thoughts, minutes felt like seconds as he fund himself standing at the entrance to Dumbledore's office.

"Acid Pops."

The gargoyles leaped out of his way, and slowly Harry made his way up to Dumbledore's office. When Harry entered the office he looked to the faces in front of him, and the last one caught him by surprise.

"Tonks?" He questioned, his green eyes lingering on her.

She gave him a smirk, "I've heard stories about your great adventure into the Chamber of Secrets and want to see which story is actually true." She explained, the smirk remaining on her face.

Harry felt his own smile tug at his lips, "Prepared to be amazed."

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as he watched the playful banter, noticing the slight tension in Harry's shoulders loosen, but after a few minutes he cleared his throat, drawing their attention to him.

"Well then, I have everything I believe we will need on my desk, and I also believe we all are ready to leave?" They all nodded. "Good, the Chamber awaits us."

Dumbledore grabbed the locket first and handed it to Sirius, who gripped it so tightly in his hand that his knuckle quickly turned white, a look of determination set on his pale, altered face. Dumbledore then grabbed a heavy looking sword Harry instantly recognized as the Sword of Gryffindor.

"Sir?" Harry asked, pointing towards the sword.

"I have a theory I would like to test down in the Chamber." He replied.

Harry nodded and moved closer to Sirius and Remus, who both were waiting with Tonk's quietly. When Dumbledore had everything they needed they quietly made their way down the stairs and into the hallway.

"I'm surprised you were allowed the come." Harry muttered quietly to Sirius, who gave a short laugh and tucked a piece of his long blonde hair behind his ear.

"I'm just as surprised as you, pup. I'm glad I'm hear though, anymore time in that damn house and I would of gone stir crazy." Sirius responded.

"Too late for the crazy part." Remus muttered under his breath.

Harry snorted and watched as Sirius kicked Remus' ankle, making the werewolf stumble and place a hand on the wall next to him.

"Do you all need to act so immature?" Tonk's asked in amusement.

"Yes." They all replied at once.

They all then stopped as they reached the entrance to the girls toilets, and only Tonk's and Dumbledore continued in after a moment. Sirius, Remus and Harry all looked at each other, sharing uneasy looks and scanning the hallways for any one watching.

"For Merlin's sake! It isn't like none of you haven't been somewhere you shouldn't of been before." Tonks hissed. "Especially you Harry! I know for a fact you've been in here more than twice."

Harry blushed at the reminder and quickly entered the bathroom, going over to the sinks and telling Dumbledore what he was looking for. By the time he found the snake faucet and was stroking it Sirius and Remus let go of your pride and entered the bathroom, watching him quietly.

"Is everyone ready?" Harry asked, looking over is shoulder at them.

"Continue, Harry." Dumbledore said as the rest nodded.

Harry concentrated on the snake, willing himself to believe it was real.

"_Open up_." He hissed in Parseltongue, making Sirius shiver behind him.

Harry stepped back as the sink turned into the entrance to the Chamber, and turned to look at the adults behind him with a small smile.

"Welcome to the Chamber of Secrets."

* * *

A/N: Don't you just love cliffhangers?


	20. Chapter 20: His Fears

With a thud that echoed in the Chamber Harry fell onto the pile of bones awaiting for him, wincing as some sharp edged ones poked at his skin. Remus grabbed his arm and helped him up, keeping his grip on Harry as he looked around the Chamber full of bones and rubble, his eyes wide. Next came Dumbledore, still clutching the Sword tightly in his wrinkled hand, and used the Sword to quickly haul himself up and brushed some dirt off his robes. He then joined Harry and Remus, all three of them waiting patiently for Sirius and Tonks. Sirius came after a minute, swearing under his breath as he got off the bile of bones and holding his arm were the bones sliced his skin.

Remus snorted and quickly tried to hide it with a fake cough, but Sirius glared at him as he used his wand to clean and heal his wound. By the time Sirius finished Tonks came down and ungracefully fell in the pile of bones like the men, muttering about filth as she gripped Sirius' hand and stood up.

"It's straight ahead." Harry muttered unnecessarily, tired of watching them look around the chamber.

Dumbledore nodded and started walking towards ahead, with Sirius, Harry, Remus and Tonks following behind him. After a minute Harry could see more of rubble that fell between him and Ron the last time he was down here, but the large snake skin still covered the ground.

"Bloody Hell! How big was the snake?!" Sirius exclaimed, studying the snake skin with Dumbledore.

Harry ran his hand through his hair, watching Remus and Tonks join Sirius and Dumbledore.

"Never did I expect the Basilisk to be this large..." Dumbledore muttered, running his hand over the skin.

Harry, who felt his patience thinning by the second, gave a sigh and hurried down the rest of the way until he was met with the doors that entered into the Chamber.

"I'm ready whenever you lot are." He called to the adults, a hint of frustration in his voice.

Picking up on what he thought was nerves, Remus managed to separate Sirius and Dumbledore from the skin and walked with Tonks by his side over to Harry.

"_Open_," Harry hissed, making himself believe the snakes on the door were alive, and stepped back as he heard the door opening.

Sirius pulled on his arm and led Harry to his side, keeping a protective hold on him as the Chamber came into full view, the smell of dirt and decay invading their noses. Dumbledore was the first to fully enter, his eyes wide as he examined a piece of Hogwarts he had never actually seen before. Harry smiled weakly at Sirius, Remus, and Tonks, who had turned to look at him warily, knowing the horrors he experienced.

"I'll be fine, lets go destroy this bloody Horcrux." Harry finally said after an awkward moment, and brushed past them before anyone could say anything.

Harry walked in and stood next to Dumbledore, letting himself look more closely at the Chamber, picking up on more details than he did before when he and Ginny were here three years ago. A shudder ran through him at the thought. Suddenly he heard the intake of breath behind him and knew the rest of them finally entered. Harry turned around just as Sirius cursed a long string of words, and was actually stunned when neither Tonks or Remus hit him for it.

But as he followed their gaze, he found himself staring at the remains of the beast he had killed to save himself and Ginny. Another shudder ran through him, and he felt his breath hitch as he realized how close Ginny was to being crushed by the snake. Tonks walked over to him then and squeezed his shoulder, taking his behavior as distress.

"It's okay, "She whispered gently in his ear, "It's all over now."

Instead of feeling annoyed as he thought he would, Harry actually felt comforted at her words, like a mother would comfort her child. For once, he let someone get away with it. Remus walked closer to the skeleton of the Basilisk and hesitantly touched the bones, studying them close as he did. Suddenly wanting a closer look a well, Harry shrugged off Tonks hand and hurried towards Remus, ignoring Sirius who called him back.

"How on earth did you survive against this? At twelve years old?" Remus asked as he stared at Harry in wonder.

"I barely did," Harry murmured back, not noticing the other three adults join them, "If Fawkes hadn't been their to heal me the poison would of killed me."

"It bit you?" Sirius asked behind him, sounding furious.

Harry turned around and looked at both Sirius and Dumbledore.

"I thought you knew, I thought Dumbledore would of told you." Harry stated.

"I would of told Sirius if I would of known you were bitten, Harry." Dumbledore told him, looking as surprised as Sirius.

"But I thought you saw the blood on my robes and the hole in my robes were I was bitten." Harry said incredulously.

Dumbledore shook his head, "I assumed the blood was from the snake, and since your robes were ruined all over I thought nothing of the hole. You also said nothing of being bitten in your story." Dumbledore answered, sounding disappointed.

"That's because Ginny was there - never mind, we need to focus on the Horcrux."

Dumbledore nodded, but Sirius started to open his mouth to protest, but stopped at the look Harry gave him. Angrily he pulled out the Horcrux instead, glaring at it as if it was the reason his godson was hurt in the first place. Harry glance over at the Basilisk and noticed the missing tooth from the rows that stuck out of its jaw, and an idea struck him. Without voicing his plan to the adults Harry walked away from them as they studied the locket closely, muttering on how to destroy it.

Harry stopped within distance of the fangs and gingerly held his hand out towards one, not really knowing what would happen if he did touch it. Summoning his Gryffindor courage Harry grabbed a hold of the closet fang, and held it as he waited for something to happen. But nothing did. Smiling to himself Harry gripped the fang tightly and pulled with all his might, a grunt leaving his lips as he pulled the fang out.

"What are you doing?" Remus suddenly asked, looking up when he heard Harry grunt.

"I have an idea."

Harry walked over with the fang gripped in his hand, and held it up for everyone to see, ignoring the looks of surprise he was given.

"I bet all the galleons in my vault that the fangs still have venom left in them, because when I was bitten that tooth held a lot of poison in it, and trust me when I say that." Harry pulled back his sleeve and quickly showed them the scar he had from the fang to prove his point.

"But how would that destroy the locket? Look at the outer shell, its made of strong metal." Sirius said, holding the locket up to show.

Dumbledore walked over to Sirius and gently took the locket out of his hand, his blue twinkling eyes searching for any weakness. Harry could literally see the gears working in Dumbledore's brain as he conjured up a plan.

"If we open the locket we can stab the Horcrux inside, but the question is, how do we get it open?" Dumbledore questioned, almost to himself.

Harry looked down at the locket and saw that Dumbledores fingers were prying at the locket opening, but it didn't even bulge.

"Maybe a spell could open it?" Tonks suggested half heartedly.

"No," Sirius quickly answered her, "When I got bored at Grimmauld Place I tried everything I knew to open it, even a few Dark Spells I learned from my dear parents, but nothing worked."

As if the words snapped something in Dumbledore's brain, a look of realization had drawn on his face as he glanced down at the locket.

"Of course..." He muttered under his breath.

"What is it, Albus?" Remus asked.

But the look on Dumbledore's face made Harry wish he wouldn't answer.

"Voldemort would do anything to protect his Horcruxes, he would use his own powers and advantages to secure their safety. He used Parseltongue as a password to open this Horcrux." Dumbledore said slowly, glancing over at Harry.

"No," Both Remus and Sirius said at the same time, understanding what Dumbledore was about to ask.

"I don't want Harry anywhere near that damned thing when it opens! Who knows what'll come out of it." Sirius said angrily.

As Remus and Sirius continued with their little argument Harry watched with frustration surging through him. They didn't even bother asking if Harry wanted to do it, or how he even felt about it. He understood that Sirius was his godfather and Remus was like a second godfather, Harry didn't like the idea of them deciding for him, no matter who they were.

"- I don't care how long it would take to destroy the bloody thing! As long as Harry-"

"Enough!" Harry cut off Remus, his voice loud and serious.

Remus, Sirius, and Tonks all looked at him incredulously, while Dumbledore looked at him with curiosity bright in his eyes.

"Don't act as if I'm not in the room, I can make my own decisions." Harry started, his anger rising along with his voice, " As long as I have something to destroy the Horcrux with I'll do it."

"Harry," Sirius began to protest.

"I'll be fine Sirius," Harry said quickly, seeing to torn look on his face, "I'm not 'The-Boy-Who-Lived' for nothing." He added.

Remus and Sirius both shared a look before they glanced over at Tonks, who looked at them both with a grim expression, but nodded.

"Even though I know you want to do this Harry, I will only let you with your godfathers permission." Dumbledore told him, watching Sirius.

Harry could see that Sirius was hesitant, debating wither he should allow Harry to do this or not. Harry gave an encouraging smile to prove he wasn't scared and was ready to help convince Sirius, but it was the exact opposite of what he felt. In truth he was only doing this so that he was one step closer to getting rid of Voldemort, but he was wary of what would happen as soon as that locket opened.

"Fine." Sirius finally said with a huff, "But as soon as something goes wrong I won't hesitate to interfere."

Harry nodded and walked over to Dumbledore, holding his hand out in front of him. Dumbledore gave him a small smile as he dropped the locket into Harry's hand, who tried to suppress the shudder that ran through him as soon as the cold metal contacted with his skin. Clenching in tightly in his hand Harry walked to the middle of the room and set the locket down at his feet, looking down at his weapon of choice.

"Harry," Dumbledore started, holding the sword in front of him, "Would you mind by testing a theory I have about this sword? I believe that it might have some venom from the snake in it."

Without answering Harry quickly walked back to Dumbledore and exchanged the fang from the sword, taking a moment to get used to its weight before he walked back over to the locket, his heart racing as he prepared himself.

"Stand back." He called out, hoping his voice didn't betray his nerves.

Harry took a deep breath and held the sword out in front of him, his plan to hit the opened locket with the blade as soon as he opened it.

"Open up." Harry hissed in parseltongue.

And with a flash of bright light the locket opened.

It was almost as if a small bomb went off, sending everyone within ten feet off their feet, landing painfully on the ground. Harry supported himself on his elbows and adjusted his glasses, only to have his eyes widen in shock at what was in front of him. It looked as if a small tornado was in front of him with the dust forming Voldmorts face before he became snake-like. Harry started in horror as the cold smile grew on the face, watching him with emotionless eyes.

"_Harry Potter_," The face said, making Harry shiver, unaware of the gust of wind circling around himself and the face, "_I have seen your dreams and your fears, and I can destroy you with both_."

A flash of sickening green light shot through the wind that made up Voldemort, only to be replaced with the bodies of his parents, their open dead eyes looking straight at him. Harry felt his breath catch in his throat as he stared at them, his nightmares coming back to haunt him. Another flash of light and Sirius joined them, flash, Remus fell next to the pile. Unaware of the voices calling out to him and the people trying to reach out for him, Harry dropped the sword to his side as his anguish overtook him, hitting him like a bolt of lightening.

"_Love will be your downfall_." Voldemort whispered as another flash shot through the wind.

Ginny. Harry felt himself start to shake, her body laying there reminding him vividly of her in the Chamber at eleven, the life being drained from her body... Flash, Ron landed in the pile. Flash, Hermione fell next to him. Harry tried to move away, but his feet wouldn't obey his mind, his eyes glued to the rapidly growing pile.

"Harry! It's not real!" Sirius shouted at the top of his lungs, but Harry couldn't think straight.

As more bodies were added to the large amount already there Harry fell to his knees and felt tears well up in his eyes.

"_Love makes you weak, love makes you vulnerable. Everyone around you dies, all because you entered their lives_." The face taunted.

Harry hid his face in his hands as the tears escaped his eyes, not wanting the face to see them, knowing they showed the weakness he felt. _This can't be real, it's not possible_. He thought repeatedly, refusing to believe what was in front of his eyes. Collecting his thoughts and emotions, Harry took his hands off his face and quickly turned his eyes to the walls of the tornado surrounding him, and could see Remus, Tonks, and Sirius trying to find a way to enter as they screamed his name and curse words. Just the sight of them breathing and moving gave Harry enough strength to grip the sword in his hands and shakily get back on his feet.

"_You could of been free from this pain if you had chosen to join me instead of that old fool, you could of been powerful_." Voldemort told him.

Harry called Voldemot something creative and very inappropriate as he lifted the sword over his shoulder and lined it up with the Horcrux, and with everything he had swung it right in the middle of the Horcrux. As the venom-filled sword connected with the cold metal a loud, pain filled scream echoed through the chamber as the piece of Voldemort's soul was destroyed. As soon as the scream died out Harry dropped the sword and fell to his knees, the wind and pile of bodies leaving as he did.

Remus and Sirius instantly rushed to Harry as Tonks made her way to the Horcrux to make sure it was not a threat anymore, trusting Sirius and Remus to take good care of Harry. As a sob escaped Harry's lips he found his head laying on Sirius' chest and he held Harry to him, comforting him the best he could as he tried to collect his own emotions. Remus rubbed his back and muttered comforting words, putting Harry before his own emotions, as he always had with anyone else. Finally Tonks walked over with the broken locket tucked away in her robes, and joined in on the small group hug.

"It's all over, Harry. It wasn't real." She muttered as she kissed his head.

"It could be." Harry responded.

"Don't talk like that," Remus snapped, "You will never be left alone, never again."

Harry took in a shaky breath and closed his eyes, soaking in the comfort he was given. They all sat on the chamber floor until everyone was calmed down enough. Remus gripped Harry's arms and helped him up as Sirius grabbed Tonks hand, and together they made their way out of the chamber to where Fawkes was waiting for them, wanting to forget everything they were forced to see.

* * *

Harry woke up to the sun shining in his eyes, irritating him instantly, and rolled away from it. He pulled the covers over his body to escape the cold air, keeping his eyes closed so he could fall asleep again. But as the minutes passed his thoughts kept him from sleeping, and with an annoyed groan he opened his eyes and sat up. As he stretched he pulled the curtains away and expected to see the other boys in the room, and found every single one of them gone. Harry grabbed his glasses and looked over at the Muggle alarm clock he had, and found it was a little after twelve in the afternoon. Cursing under his breath he got off of his bed and searched for his socks under the bed and then quickly dressed, and pointlessly put a wet comb through his hair before he made his way to the Common Room.

As he entered he saw people coming in through the entrance from lunch, and sat down on the couch closest to the fire as he waited for his friends to return. Surprisingly enough it was Ginny that came back first, who usually sat at the table with girls in her grade until the food was cleared, and sat right next to Harry on the couch.

"Long night?" She asked, looking at his tired eyes.

"You have no idea." He muttered as he rubbed his eyes.

Ginny laughed and reached her hand towards him, and plucked a stray eyelash off of his face.

"You look like hell, no offence." Ginny said, looking more closely at him.

Now it was Harry who laughed, and rolled his eyes at her.

"Thanks for the flattering comment."

She smacked his arm playfully, "You know what I mean you prat." She said with a small laugh.

"Your easy to mess with, you know that right?" Harry teased.

"A Bat-Boogy Hex is easy to conjure, you know that right?"

Harry held his hands up in surrender, "I take that back. My apology's to Princess Ginerva."

Ginny scroffed playfully, "That's Queen Ginerva to you."

Harry raised an eyebrow, "Is that so?"

"That's right Potter, and don't you forget it."

They both erupted into laughter at the same time, unaware of Ron and Hermione entering the room and walking towards them. But when they felt the couch dip in added weight they looked at them, smiles on both their faces.

"What did we miss?" Hermione asked with a sideways glance at Harry.

"Harry doesn't know what to take a compliment."

Oi! Like that was a compliment! 'You look like hell Harry.'" He quoted.

Ron chuckled as Hermione shook her head, "Well..." He started.

Harry didn't let him finish as he grabbed a worn couch pillow and swung it at Ron's face, muffling the rest of the comment and the yelp of surprise. They all couldn't help but laugh as at look on Ron's face as the pillow fell, and weren't prepared as Ron quickly grabbed the pillow and retaliated by smacking Harry with it, turning it into a all-out war with the boys as Hermione and Ginny laughed at them, which lead to them being mixed in the cross fire.

"What's up with you lot?" George asked as him and Fred walked down from the boys dorm, fidgeting with their singed sleeves.

"Either Ron or Harry insulted each other, it's obvious Georgie." Fred replied, sitting on the ground by Hermione.

"No, Ron agreed with Ginny's insult." Hermione answered, ducking her head as Ron went to hit Harry.

"Our Gin-Gin?"

"Shut it, carrot head." Ginny teased, poking her brothers head with her big toe.

Fred cringed back and ran his hand over his head, and then wiped his hand off on the floor.

"Merlin Ginny, get those dirty smelling feet away from my precious hair!"

As Ginny laughed Ron and Harry gave up on their ridiculous fight, both winded and slightly sweaty as they sat back down.

"So," George started, "What are you doing today? And don't say homework, because I might be physically sick if I see another piece of homework."

Harry looked at Ginny at confusion, and they both were surprised when Ron and Hermione shared a knowing look.

"Have the teachers started lecturing you about N.E.W.T's?" Hermione asked.

Fred and George answered with strangled groans.

"What are "N.E.W.T's?" Harry asked, looking towards the twins.

"Ugh, where's Percy The Prat when you need him? N.E.W.T stands for Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Test's, and they determine which kind of job's you can get after you graduate." Fred replied.

"Fantastic name to give a test." Harry sarcastically said, "I mean, who in the hell picked that name?"

Everyone gave a chuckle and shook their heads, none of them knowing the answer.

* * *

The week past quickly and Harry found himself making his way down to the Great Hall from dinner, wanting to grab something small he could stomach before he got started on the pile of homework he had waiting for him upstairs. For the past week the events from both times he had been in the Chamber of Secrets haunted him, along with the dream of the corridor he was always finding himself in. It both confused and scared the hell out of him, wanting nothing more than to forgot both. Harry found himself eating less too, hardly being able to stomach his food without raising suspicion, on his appetite and vomiting at the same time.

He already knew Tonks was keeping her on him, no doubt Sirius or Remus or even both asked her to, or maybe she wanted to, he didn't care to ask, not wanting to be trapped alone in the room with her, because he knew what she would want to talk about. Harry wasn't ready to talk though, and he thought he might never be ready. None of them understood how horrifying it was for him to stare at the growing pile of bodies of the people he loved, for the truth of what could happen to be thrust upon him. Stop thinking about it, he told himself, and quickened his pace to the Great Hall.

As Harry thrust his hand out to open the door, Cho Chang opened it herself and found herself face to face with Harry, alone. As they both realized this Harry paled and Cho flushed, tucking piece of her black hair behind her ear.

"Hey Harry-" She started, but Harry quickly pasted her.

"Sorry, Ron and Hermione are expecting me." He said hastily as he walked through the doors, not noticing her disappointed look.

Harry knew that he was avoiding her, hell, who wasn't he avoiding this week? But he didn't want to talk to her about Cedric, it was too hard and too fresh in his mind. Harry walked over to the Gryyfindor table and sat down in his seat, scanning the table for fast and easy food, grabbing a roll, apple, ham sandwich and a glass of pumpkin juice before he sat back up and started towards the doors again.

"Where are you going?" Ron asked, grabbing a piece of chicken,

"I got homework to do." Harry muttered, averting his gaze from Ron's eyes.

It wasn't surprising that Ron and Hermione were catching on that something was wrong, since Harry was finding stuff to do instead of hanging out with them, like reading or his homework, but he knew it had to be like that. After waking up from his nightmares for the forth time in a row, Harry sat on his bed and tried to calm himself down, thinking of ways to help get rid of the nightmares. That was when he concluded that, if he distanced himself from his friends and family, that when the time cam and they were gone, the pain wouldn't be so intense.

"You sound like Hermione, but even she eats more than that and works less. What's gotten into you? You look dead on your feet and incredibly skinny, when's the last time you've had a decent meal?"

"I'm fine, Ron." Harry snapped, trying to hitch his bag over his shoulder without spilling his pumpkin juice.

"Don't try to feed me that shit! You have bags under your eyes and I've heard you walking around at night! Are your nightmares back again?"

Harry felt himself pale at the mention of his nightmares. Not wanting to answer Ron, Harry gripped his plate and glass and turned away from him, walking towards the doors that led out of the Great Hall, leaving Ron watching him with disbelief and worry.  
Hermione then walked in, her head turned behind her shoulder as she watched Harry storm off, then turned to see Ron staring in her direction and quickly made her way over to him.

"What's going on? What did you say to him?" Hermione asked as she sat down next to him, her voice non-accusing.

"I just asked him what was wrong and he snapped on me! We both know something is wrong, he looks like a ghost! Or he's seen one for the first time." Ron added.

Hermione sighed as she started to spoon food onto her plate, "I've known something was wrong since Sunday. Harry was too giddy and joking, which he never does and people usually joke to hid their emotions, and then Monday he was only speaking when he was spoke to. And then Wednesday, something changed because he stopped hanging out with us and was working more, I don't know what caused it. I know he won't open up to us since he's been avoiding us, so I decided to contact Sirius. I just sent him my letter and hopefully he'll be able to get Harry to open up."

Ron nodded, glad Hermione had thought of something that would actually help Harry instead of them fighting with Harry to open up and tell them.

"That was a brilliant idea." Ron praised as he cut up his chicken.

Since Ron didn't have his attention on her he didn't notice Hermione blush.

* * *

A/N: Okay, I know this is late, but it was not my fault. Was the site acting a little funny for anyone else? The entire layout of the website on my computer was different and their was nooo way to log in or even access my account, and it stayed like that until today. It was beyond frustrating, and I apologies for the overdue update. Okay, so this account is up to date with my other one, so it might take me a little time to work on the next chapter, because it isn't completely finished. I have finals this week and some of next so the chapter might not be up till the end of next week. Thank you all for understanding! R&R!


	21. Chapter 21: Help Is Always Given

A lone hooded figure made its way down the full moon lit path bathing the street, the streetlights above flickering slightly at the magical power radiating off the man walking. Luckily it was almost midnight, and most of the Muggles's in the area would be tucked away in their bedrooms sleeping. The figure continued down the road before he came to a stop at an old worn down house in between the house of 11 and 13, which didn't appear to anyone who didn't know the secret of Number 12 Grimmauld Place. The man turned and walked past the rusty gates that guarded the front yard and only stopped when he reached the door.  
He knocked twice to announce his arrival before openly the door and letting himself in, shutting the door with a loud creak behind him. As he made to take his cloak off he heard Sirius walking down the hallway, and made sure to keep his face in the light so he wouldn't be hit by any curses. Sirius entered the room with his wand drawn out in front of himself, but relaxed as he saw the man standing in his house.

"Albus! I wasn't expecting you till a bit later. Follow me." Sirius said, motioning Dumbledore to join him as he started to walk down the hallway.

"Did I scare you Sirius?" Dumbledore asked with amusement evident in his voice.

Sirius and Dumbledore entered the living room where a roaring fire was lit in the fireplace, giving the room a comforting color, and made for the couch in front of the fire. Sirius looked at him and gave Dumbledore a mock scowl, but gave a short laugh and shook his head as he sat down in the chair on the side of the couch.

"You should be proud of yourself, old man. Sneaking up on a prankster. But I can't help but feel a little jumpy, I get paranoid." Sirius replied, grabbing his glass of firewhisky from earlier off the coffee table.

"It appears so."

Dumbledore settled on the couch with a smile and poured himself a glass of firewisky.

"So, you received a letter earlier today from Ms. Granger that concerns Harry?" Dumbledore asked, getting to the point of his visit.

Sirius took a swig of his drink before answering, "Yes, and I usually wouldn't make a big deal out of a single letter, but what she said left me worried. I knew that the events in the Chamber of Secrets would effect him, but I didn't know how, because he reacts differently to every situation. But what Hermione said made me worry."

Sirius grabbed a slightly crumbled letter off the table and handed it to Dumbledore, who took it with a withered hand and adjusted his glasses before he started to read. Sirius watched him for any reaction but unsurprisingly Dumbledore kept his emotions in line, and looked over at Sirius when he came to the end.

"Hmm, well Harry's behavior is very interesting." Dumbledore finally said.

"Interesting? It's bloody weird, unlike him. One day he's joking with them, the next he's quiet, and a few days after that he's ignoring them and snapping at everyone! Hermione thinks something happened either Tuesday night or Wednesday morning, because that's when he took to staying in the library and doing anything but hanging out with them, or Ginny, or any of the Weasley's!" Sirius ranted, his hands making gestures as he talked.

"I know why you are concerned Sirius, and I can't help but think Voldemort is somehow involved in this." Dumbledore quietly answered.

"Voldemort?" Sirius asked in shock.

Dumbledore nodded his head, "You heard me correctly. We both saw that figure of Voldemort appear in the Chamber, even though it was only an allusion, it might of said something to Harry enough to make him question something. With Voldemort's return and the connection him and Harry share we knew that Voldemort would try to use that to his advantage. I believe that through his Horcrux he could of tried to mess with Harry, to make him question something enough to make him withdraw from his friends."

Sirius took his time registering what Dumbledore told him, not wanting to believe that Voldemort would try to hurt Harry again so quickly after the kidnapping.

"Is there anything we can do? That I could do?" Sirius asked, almost pleadingly.

"What we can do is let Harry know we are here for him whenever he is ready to talk. You, as his godfather, might be able to get through to him easier. You and Harry share a connection that runs very deep, similar to the ones he shares with Remus. You understand him more than either of you believe. If you push a little he may open up and tell you, and even if it doesn't work right away he'll know that your there whenever he needs to talk to someone." Dumbledore responded.

Sirius nodded, picking up his glass and drowning the last of his firewhisky, his throat already used to the sting feeling.

"Thank you Albus, for all your help." Sirius muttered, picking himself off the chair.

Dumbledore rose as well and put his hand out and shook hands with Sirius, a sincere smile on his face.  
"Not a problem at all."

* * *

Harry secured the towel tightly around his waist as he stepped out of the shower, the room blurry from the steam and his lack of eye sight, and used his towel to unfog his glasses before he put them back on and walked over to the counter, grabbing another towel to dry his hair with. His frustration from his small fight with Ron still lingered from earlier that day, just as he got over Ron's accusations he made in the Great Hall, Ron opened his big mouth the next day and asked Harry why he wasn't talking to either himself or Hermione. Harry snapped at Ron to leave him alone and skipped the class he had that day, which was Divination, not that he would miss anything worth knowing.

Gritting his teeth, Harry used his hand to clear the steam off the mirror in front of him and started to rub the towel on his scalp. Harry knew that after his decision to keep his friends away from them for their own safety, that his friends would fight him, even if they didn't know why they had to fight back in the first place. But Harry didn't tell them his decision, because it made it too real and he wasn't absolutely sure he wanted it, even though he knew he needed to protect them. Harry had never really been the one to snap at people and he knew it, he was just irritated quickly for some reason the past month and didn't really know what triggered it. Puberty, he thought with a shrug, throwing the towel he used to dry his hair on the ground and grabbed his comb.

After he finished getting the knots out of his hair, he dried he rest of his body and put on his boxer along with his sweats and a t-shirt, and got out of the bathroom. Looking at the muggle clock he kept on his nightstand he found it was only seven thirty, which was way too early for him to even consider going to bed, so decided to grab his copy of '_Quidditch Through the Ages'_ off the coffee table in the Common Room for something to do. Climbing down the stairs Harry spotted red hair by the table off to the side of the stairs, and quietly descended the stairs. But as he got closer he noticed the hair was longer than any of the Weasley boys and realized it was Ginny, and felt guilt rise in him.

Surprisingly she was the only one Harry never snapped at, but just gave her a small smile as he passed, because out of everyone else Ginny never asked him what was wrong, but treated him like a normal person, giving him the space Ron and Hermione never did, and he appreciated it immensely. Harry passed her with a sad smile and made for the coffee table in front of the fireplace, seeing his book and reaching for it.

"Harry?" Hermione asked, curled up on a chair near the fireplace with thick volume placed in her lap.

"What?" He asked, grabbing his book, purposely turning his back towards her.

"Ron mentioned you never showed up for Divination, I just wanted to make sure you were okay." She said in a shy voice.

Harry closed his eyes and sighed, knowing she was scared that he would snap at her like he had for most of the week. Guilt flared even more in his stomach, so he turned to face her with a soft smile on his face.

"I'm fine, I just needed some space." Harry replied, not looking her in the eye.

"More space? Harry, we've been trying to give you enough space to deal with whatever you're going through, but it's like your distancing yourself away from us on purpose."

Harry felt his irritation override his guilt and tried to control it, knowing Hermione had enough of his rude behavior.

"You two have been nagging me every time I don't talk, do you really blame me for wanting to get away from that?" He asked.

Hermione flinched a little at that, clearly hurt by his words.

"I know you two only do it because you care, but I need my space." Harry quickly added, not wanting to be more of an ass than he was already being.

Before Hermione could say anything else to him he gripped his book tightly and turned away from her, making his way back up the stairs and to the fifth year dorm, feeling guilty and irritated, but confused as to why he was feeling both. He opened the curtains around his bed and went to sit down, but Hedwig knocked her beak on the window beside his bed, and went to open the window in confusion. When did I send Hedwig out? He wondered, watching her make her way into the room and to him, with a letter gripped tightly in her beak.

"Hey there girl, what do you got for me?" Harry asked, holding his arm out for her to perch on.

Hedwig landing on his arm and clucked her beak enthusiastically, and Harry removed the letter from her mouth and looked down at the writing on the front. The letter was addressed for him, in Sirius' handwriting. Harry almost dropped the letter in shock, not remembering the last time he had written to Sirius. Was something wrong? As Hedwig removed herself off his arm and made for her cage, Harry ripped the envelope open and grabbed the letter out.

_Harry,_

_Is there something you wanted to tell me? A little birdy told me that you've been acting strange this past week. Someone (and I won't say who) sent me a letter concerning your behavior, and it worried me. You never told me what the Horcrux said to you down in the Chamber of Secrets, but I believe it said something to scare you enough to stay away from people. Am I right? Has anything else happened? If you need to talk face to face all you need to do is tell Dumbledore that you need to talk to me and you can Floo to Grimmauld Place for a while. We need to do something, because you never act like this, and you need to fix your behavior before you loose any of your friends. Please, just come and talk to me._

_Love, Snuffles_

Harry set the letter down on his bed and bit his lip, thinking over the letter. _Should he tell Sirius? What should he tell him? The weird dreams he'd been having, the thoughts, what the Horcrux said? Everything_, a little voice in his head told him. Harry was conflicted and scared, what if he was going crazy? But Harry's heart tugged at the thought of getting everything off his chest, at the chance of getting help with what he was going through. Harry ran and slightly shaking hand through his hair and laid out on his bed, his heart fighting a voice in his head saying _'Don't do it, it's none of his god damn business!'_

After thinking about for an hour going over the pro's and con's, with his sleepiness creeping in from sleepless nights, his heart won; he would tell Sirius everything.

* * *

The day past quickly for Harry as he found himself making his way to dinner in the Great Hall, planning on having a quick dinner before asking Dumbledore for permission to visit Sirius to talk. Entering the Great Hall Harry found it almost empty, since dinner was almost done with, which was when Harry usually liked to come so their weren't as many people around. Harry sat down on the bench and made a small plate of food, finally noticing how little he had been eating for the past week, but ate the little amount of food he had on his plate and drank his glass of water. When he finished he stood up from the table and looked towards the teachers table and saw Dumbledore was missing from his chair. Looking around the hall, Harry noticed Dumbledore leaving the hall, and hurried towards him.

"Professor Dumbledore!" Harry called, catching the mans attention.

"May I help you Harry?" Dumbledore asked informally since no other student was around.

"I was wondering if I could use the fireplace in your office to Floo over to Grimmauld Place for a while, I need to talk to Sirius." Harry asked in a quiet voice.

Dumbledore smile, almost as if he was glad, "Of course, Harry. Take all the time you need. Follow me."

Harry gave a shy 'thanks' and followed Dumbledore down the corridor until they reached the Griffin statue that lead to Dumbledore's office, which Dumbledore gave the password (Licorice Wand) and together they made their way for his office. Harry lagged behind as Dumbledore searched his desk drawers for his Floo Powder, looking around until Dumbledore found the little pouch and handed it to Harry, wishing him a goodnight.

Harry waited until Dumbledore was inside his living chambers before he through the Floo Powder in the fire, watching it roar to life and turn green, and then stepped inside.

"Number Twelve Grimmauld Place!" Harry yelled over the fire.

Harry tucked in his elbows as he traveled through the Floo Network, making sure to keep his mouth closed so he didn't inhale any soot. Harry stumbled as he landed in Sirius' fireplace, but surprisingly a pair of arms caught him.

"Harry!" Sirius said in surprise, "I didn't expect you so soon."

Harry smiled and hugged Sirius, noting that Sirius didn't look like a skeleton anymore and added on some much needed weight that Azkaban robbed him of, and looked healthier than ever.

"I didn't expect to come here so soon myself." Harry answered, biting his lips hesitantly.

"So you read my letter? I'm glad you came, we need to talk. Come sit." Sirius motioned to the couch in front of the fireplace where a copy of the _'Daily Prophet'_ sat, with a picture of Fudge on the front page. Ignoring it as Sirius set it on the table in front of them, Harry sat down beside Sirius and looked down at his hands, not knowing where to begin.

"Before I ask you anything else, I want to know what happened in the chamber." Sirius asked.

Harry hesitated before he began, "When I used Parsaltongue to open the locket, it exploded and a figure of Voldemort appeared, and I didn't notice anything else that was happening. I was so focused on him and felt so afraid, I felt like I was back at in Little Hangleton. He told me that everyone around me died all because they knew me and... and that it would destroy me."

Sirius didn't hesitate as he pulled Harry into a hug, holding Harry to himself as he felt Harry shake. "You know none of that is true, Harry. Voldemort is the reason your parents are gone, along with Quirrel and Bertha Jones and everyone else Voldemort has killed. It's all his fault."

Harry buried his head against Sirius' shoulder, drawn towards the physical comfort he had been long denied. When Harry didn't argue back Sirius took at as an agreement to his words, and simply held Harry, knowing that this was the most Harry had probably talked without snapping at anyone.

"There's... There's more, Sirius." Harry finally spoke up after a few moments.

Sirius nodded, giving Harry the time he needed to recollect himself.

"I've been having these weird dreams for months now, about a dark corridor and a locked door that I can never open, and a few times Voldemort's been there waiting for me, cornering me and taunting me about how no matter where I go that he'll be able to get me, that I can ever escape him. There's more," Harry said as Sirius started to open his mouth, "I-I've been having weird thoughts too. I keep convincing myself that Voldemort will kill everyone I love because they're connected to me, and with what happened in the Chamber of Secrets amplified that fear, along with the nightmares that came along with it. I finally told myself that distancing myself will make it hurt less when they die."

"Bloody hell," Sirius whispered, hugging Harry even tighter to him, "No wonder you've been acting like this. You should of said something earlier, I could of helped. Merlin, why did Albus have to be right?" Sirius ranted, petting Harry's hair.

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked.

"After I got the letter from Hermione I called Albus to talk about what she said, and Dumbledore had a feeling that Voldemort might use the connection to mess with your thoughts, and it looks like your dreams as well. Maybe your emotions." Sirius explained.

Harry felt all the color leave his face at the thought, and felt himself start to shake, "He can do that through the connection? What the hell am I gonna do Sirius?!" Harry asked with rising panic.

"What I need you to do is calm down, I need to talk to Albus and even Poppy about this, they might know something you could do to block him out," Sirius let go of Harry and push him down, making Harry lay out on the couch, "Now I know you're exhausted, I can see it on your face. You didn't sleep good night last did you? Or any night this week?" Harry shook his head, feeling like a five year old as Sirius grabbed a blanket and covered him with it, "I want you to relax while I Floo Albus, I don't want you to worry about your friends and classes tomorrow, just try to catch up on your sleep."

Harry nodded and tried to control his shaking body, telling himself that there was nothing he could do right now, except for to calm down and sleep. He heard Sirius call for Dumbledore and start to talk quickly, explaining the situation, and Harry closed his eyes, allowing the sound of Sirius' voice to calm him and lull him to sleep, feeling safer than he had in a while. After about a half hour, Sirius finished talking to Dumbledore and Harry was half asleep, and he walked towards the couch and kneeled in front of Harry.

"Albus is coming over in the morning to explain what we're going to do, and you're excused from all you're classes since I'm keeping you here. I'll be in the kitchen if you need me, I'll be using my mirror to talk to Remus." Sirius explained.

Harry hardly heard him though, but gave a soft nod of his head. Sirius gave a soft chuckle and kissed Harry's forehead, and frowned when he felt a slight fever. Harry was literally getting sick from all the stress he was dealing with, and Sirius was glad that they might of found a solution to help him.

* * *

**_A/N: I literally just finished writing this chapter, and it's about 2 in the morning where I live. Oh well, who needs sleep anyway? School is over and I'll have more time on my hands, but that doesn't mean I'll have the chapters up quicker. But I still plan to continue writing, I have too many plans for this story to stop._**


	22. Chapter 22: Hello Again

The sound of birds chirping outside his window woke Ron up, annoying the hell out of him as he grumbled under his breath as he pushed his blanket off of himself. Ron rubbed his eyes tiredly and pulled his bed hangings back, looking at the full boy's dorm, apart from Harry. Ron did a double take and looked back at Harry's bed, where the curtains where drawn back and the bed was made. Ron glanced at the clock Harry always kept on his nightstand, finding it was only a little after six in the morning. Harry never returned back to the dorm after dinner last night, and Ron was worried. Harry was already acting strange, but Ron knew in his gut something was very wrong. Getting up off his bed Ron made for his trunk, pulling out a pair of Muggle jeans and a red sweater along with his school robes, Ron dressed hastily and made his way down to the Common Room.

Ron smiled as he walked towards the fireplace, finding Hermione curled up on one of the chairs with a blanket thrown over her and a thick book laying on the ground beside her. He walked over towards her and gently shook her shoulder, watching her stir and felt her hand try to swat him away. As she opened her eyes Hermione jumped a little at the sight of Ron, blushing as she tried to get her hair out of her face.

"Wha's wrong?" Hermione asked through a yawn, covering her mouth.

"This is the second time you've fallen asleep in the Common Room." Ron said with an amused smile.

"I've been studying for a Arithmancy test that's tomorrow." Hermione replied, hauling herself off the chair.

Ron couldn't help but laugh at her disheveled appearance, that looked so different from the prim and proper Hermione that could tame everything but her head of curls. Hermione threw a mock glare in his direction as she grabbed her book of the ground and stuffed it back in her bag.

"I don't get why you study so hard. You always pay attention in class and take notes, plus you can recite anything you've ever read. Why go over it if you already know it?" Ron questioned, sitting down on the couch.

"Because I could of easily missed something important, and I don't always pay attention in my classes or take notes!" Hermione said, as if defending herself.

"Hey, I never said it was a bad thing." Ron said carefully.

Hermione sighed, grabbing all her hair in her hand and using a hair tie she had around her wrist to pull her hair into a ponytail.

"Sorry for snapping, I've just been moody lately." Hermione said, looking away from Ron as she searched for something in her bag.

"Everything okay?" Ron asked.

"I-It's girl stuff Ron, you wouldn't understand. Plus I'm worried about Harry." She added, a small blush creeping on her cheeks.

Ron ignored the first part she said, not wanting to hear anymore about it for obvious reasons, and nodded his head.

"I'm worried about him too, he never came back from dinner last night." Ron told her, staring out the window, watching as the first few snowflakes of the year flurry around in the wind.

"He didn't?! Why didn't you mention it before?" Hermione asked in shock, her head snapping towards Ron.

"I mean I'm still worried, but I figured that he might of fell asleep in the library since he's spending all his damn time there now." Ron said bitterly.

Hermione came over and sat next to him, and put a hand on his shoulder for comfort.

"I know you're mad and want answers from him but so do I. I sent Sirius a letter three days ago telling him what's been going on with Harry, and hopefully he sent Harry a letter or had Tonk's talk to him since he won't come to us. But just give him a few more days, something's wrong and I don't believe it's all Harry's fault."  
Ron nodded at her words, knowing they were true, but he was still frustration with the whole situation. In a way he wanted to make up for the ass he had been to Harry during the Tri-Wizard Tournament last year when he believed Harry had entered himself. Shaking his head at the stupid mistake he had made, Ron got up off the couch.

"I should grab my bag before we go to down for breakfast, so we can head right to class." Ron muttered before he started up the stairs to the fifth year boys dormitory.

Hermione watched him go before she headed for her own dorm room, so she could quickly change into something different and that would keep her warm, since the first day of December brought the first snowfall of the year. Putting on a light blue sweater and jeans along with her black school robes Hermione took her hair out of the messy ponytail and brushed it before putting it back up, not having the time nor patience to do anything else do it. Hermione walked back down the stairs and found Ron waiting for her, and heard the door behind him close.

"Professor Dumbledore wants us to meet him in his office." Ron told her, clutching a piece of paper in his hand.

Looking up in alarm she saw the worry clear as crystal on Ron's face.

"What's wrong? What happened?" Hermione asked.

"It's Harry."

* * *

A loud crash somewhere behind the couch he was sleeping on was what woke Harry up, and he jerked up, making the blanket fly off him, and reached for the wand still in his pocket.

"Relax Harry! It's just me!" Sirius said, holding his hands up as he saw Harry's wand pointed at him.

Harry instantly put his arm down, and put his wand on the table next to the couch and reached for his glasses. As he put them on he found Sirius picking up the few books that he must of dropped.

"Padfoot, you klutz. You're almost as bad as your cousin." A voice said that Harry recognized as Remus, who appeared in the room a moment later.

"You would know, wouldn't you Remus?" Sirius asked, waggling his eyebrows.

Remus was about to retort when he saw Harry sitting up on the couch, and offered him a warm smile as he made his way to the couch.

"Good morning Harry, or should I say good afternoon?" Remus said, glancing down at his watch.

Harry looked over the clock set on the fireplace mantel and found it was a little after eleven thirty in the morning.

"Why did you let me sleep so late?" Harry asked, rubbing his eyes.

"Because you were in desperate need of it. You looked like the walking dead when you came through last night Harry." Sirius replied, sitting next to Remus.

Harry grabbed the blanket off the ground and put back on himself, finding the room chilly even with the fire going.

"You have a bit of a fever, I checked this morning to see if it was still there." Sirius said.

Harry nodded, and a moment later his stomach loudly grumbled, making the two men sitting next to him laugh.

"Kreacher!" Sirius called, and a second later the old house elf appeared in front him.

"Yes, Master?" Kreacher asked, a sour look on his face.

"Would you make Harry a light lunch?" Sirius asked.

"Please," Remus added for him.

Kreacher muttered under his breath low enough that Harry couldn't hear, but a moment later the old elf disappeared with a snap of his fingers.

"What about school?" Harry asked, "My classes for today?"

"Merlin, you were out like a light last night," Sirius said with a chuckle, "I talked to Dumbledore and he said that you were excused from all your classes today. And speaking of him, Albus said he would come over and explain an idea he had to block Voldemort out of your mind."

Harry felt his heart skip a beat at the thought of Voldemort invading his mind. And flinched away when Remus put an arm around his shoulder, quickly picking up on Harry's distress.

"It's okay cub, we'll fix this. Dumbledore has a brilliant idea that's complicated for us to explain without getting something mixed up." Remus reassured him.

Harry nodded and looked down at his hands.

"We informed both Ron and Hermione this morning of what's been going on." Remus added.

"What?" Harry yelped in shock, quickly getting to his feet. "Why would you tell them?" He asked in outrage.

Both Sirius and Remus got to their feet and looked at Harry, noticing his hands clenching into fists at his side as he tried to control his anger.

"Harry sit back down, you need to calm down," When Harry didn't move Sirius continued, "We needed to tell them because they were the ones that noticed what was going on with you first and told us. We need them to tell us how exactly you were acting so we know for sure that it was Voldemort influencing your behavior."

At the mention of Voldemort influencing him Harry desperately tried to get a grip on his emotions, but found he couldn't fully control them. Seeing the flicker of panic on Harry's face before it turned back into anger Remus hurried towards Harry, not caring at what Harry might do, and pulled him into a tight hug, feeling Harry try to push him away.

"Just focus on my voice Harry. You need to try to calm down. I know it's hard because Voldemort probably knows what is going on and is trying to get full control of you, but you need to keep fighting. Not for just you, but for me, Sirius, Ron, Hermione, everyone that loves you." Remus whispered in his ear, feeling Harry's rapidly beating heart against his chest.

Harry's face screwed up into a look of concentration as he fought with Voldemort internally for control of his emotions, frustration building inside him as tried pushing Voldemort back, Voldemort's emotion mixing with his own. Sirius and Remus watched in fascination as Harry fought mentally with Voldemort for the next few minutes, before Harry's face relax and he took a deep breath. Remus let go of him and checked over him for a moment, finding only that Harry's fever went up a degree.

"Sit down, Kreacher'll have your lunch in a moment." Sirius told him, sitting next to him on the couch and gripping Harry's shoulder tightly.

Harry relaxed against the couch and closed his eyes for a moment, trying to calm down his rapidly beating heart.

"Voldemort's fight weakened when Remus touched me, that's why I tried to push you back, or he did I should say." Harry informed them in a quite voice.

"Voldemort hates any type of love. Emotionally, physical, mental. It would be enough to weaken his hold on you. We just need Albus to get this started today, Voldemort figured out what's going on and will try to fight it." Remus said, running a scarred hand through his graying hair.

Kreacher then Apparated right in front of the coffee table and set sown a plate full of sandwiches and a few glasses of pumpkin juice before he snapped his fingers and left in a hurry. Harry gingerly took a sandwich and nibbled on the sides as Remus and Sirius continued talking, zoning out as he lost himself in his thoughts.

"Harry?" Sirius asked.

Harry looked up at him and placed his barely eaten sandwich back on the plate. "Yeah?"

"We only told Ron and Hermione because they were ones that noticed first and can help. We didn't tell anyone else, not without your permission." Sirius told him.

Harry was taken aback for a moment, no one had ever really asked him for permission before. "I'd rather wait and see how Ron and Hermione act before we tell anyone else." Harry answered.

"We had Ron gather some clothes for you and had them sent here for you whenever your ready to shower and change, because Ron and Hermione will be coming over after lunch." Sirius informed him.

Harry glanced over at the clock again and found it was a few minutes to twelve, "Why didn't you tell me before?" Harry asked, getting off the couch and heading towards his backpack that was placed near the fireplace.

"We had other things to deal with." Sirius answered.

Harry quickly gathered his clothes out of the backpack and hurried up the stairs to the second story where the closest shower was and hoped in, only cleaning his hair and not bothering to shave, and stepped out five minutes later, drying himself off. As he shook a towel through his hair he heard a 'thump' and Ron swear, and Harry quickly dressed in a green sweater and old jeans while he put a comb through his hair. Harry walked over to the mirror and studied his face carefully, noting that the shadows under his eyes hadn't fully disappeared and he was pale, only his green eyes having any real color.

"Here goes nothing." Harry muttered under his breath before he opened the door and walked out.

* * *

Hermione stepped out of the fireplace and stumbled as she made her way out, and to her surprise caught at the last second by Remus who had been waiting by the fireplace for them.

"Thank you Professor Lupin." Hermione said, brushing herself off.

"I'm no longer your Professor, Hermione. You can call my Remus." Remus said with a warm smile.

Before Hermione could answer Ron came tumbling out of the fireplace, and before anyone of them could put their hand out for him he landed on his knees on the ground at Hermione's feet.

"Bloody hell!" Ron said loudly, allowing a giggling Hermione to help him to his feet.

As Ron brushed of the soot clinging to his sweater, Remus led them both the couch where sandwiches and glasses of pumpkin juice sat on the coffee table.

"Where is everyone?" Hermione asked, taking a glass of pumpkin juice off the table and taking a sip of it.

"Harry went to take a quick shower, and Sirius went to change his clothes he's been wearing since yesterday. He refused to leave Harry last night after everything Harry told him." Remus explained.

Before Hermione could push the subject more Sirius walked into the room with a huge grin on his face as he spotted Ron and Hermione.

"Hey you lot! I've missed you!" He said as he came over and hugged Hermione and shook Ron's hand, "It's been boring without any of you kids here."

"Trust me Sirius, I'd rather be here then Hogwarts." Ron muttered.

"C'mon Ron, school isn't that bad!" Hermione argued.

Sirius laughed and looked over at Remus, who was shaking his head with as amused look on his face, "Let me guess, all your teachers are on your backs about OWL's?"

The groan from Ron was enough to answer, but Hermione nodded and said, "It's not that bad, just a little more homework and lectures."

"Easy for you to say, you get school easily, not everyone is as lucky as you." Ron said, not noticing the way Hermione's eyes brightened at the compliment.

"Yeah, me and Ron wouldn't make it if it wasn't for the notes and memory you have." Harry said, leaning against the wall behind them.

Everyone watched as Harry made his way over to where Ron and Hermione sat, a hesitant look on his face as he watched his best friends for any signs of anger or bitterness, but all he received were black looks from them. In the end Harry decided to sit in the chair on the side of couch where Sirius was standing by. Harry looked up as silence continued, looking uncomfortable as Ron and Hermione watched him closely.

"Are you okay?" Hermione finally asked, her voice full of concern and worry.

"Yeah," Harry answered after a moment of thinking, "I'm okay."

"What happened? All Dumbledore told us was you told Sirius everything and Voldemort was involved, he just didn't say how. What did that bastard do to you?" Ron asked, his voice rising.

No one in the room scolded Ron for his use of language, but watched as Harry contemplated what he wanted to tell them. After a moment Harry launched into his story telling them everything that he had told Sirius last night and what had happened to him before they had arrived with Sirius added in things that he hadn't, which surprisingly didn't bother Harry. Ron and Hermione sat there stunned, trying to process what they had learned, but what got Harry's attention was Remus, who did not seemed shocked by anything Harry had just told him, but figured Sirius must of told him whenever he had arrived.

"Why didn't you tell anyone before?" Ron asked, his voice soft and quiet.

"I didn't want to bother anyone with it, I figured it was my problem and I could fix it." Harry responded, looking down at his hands, "I'm used to handling things on my own, I figured this was no different."

Hermione got off the couch and hugged Harry, gripping his back tightly as she held him to her, letting him soak in the comfort she was giving him. Ron just stared at him, then looked over to Sirius who shook his head, telling Ron not to yell at Harry for his stupidity. When Hermione finally let go of Harry she went back onto the couch with Ron, looking at Harry with sad eyes, and Harry sighed.

"This is why I didn't want to tell anyone. I hate the pitying looks I get the being yelled at for not knowing what to do. I'd rather just fix it myself and have it over with."

"We're not hear to yell at you Harry," Ron said. "We're here to help. I don't care if Voldemort plants these stupid ideas in your head that we're all goanna die and leave you, Hermione and I are staying with you through all this, whether you like it or not."

"Don't forget Remus and I," Sirius spoke up, "I'm your godfather and Remus is as good as your godmother, shut up Remus I'm making a point," He added as Remus opened his mouth to retort, "And we're as involved in this war as you are. We're with you and nothing will change that, not even Voldemort trying to use you to get rid of us."

Harry nodded, feeling exhausted from everything that had happened and what he had told them; it felt like he was reliving everything he had said.

"I'm sorry for not speaking up." Harry said tiredly.

Sirius put his hand on Harry's shoulder and squeezed it, while Remus just nodded with a small smile on his face. "Just please speak up next time, you never know how bad the situation could be."

"Yeah, you git." Ron added with a grin, letting Harry know he was joking.

Harry laughed as Hermione drove her elbow into Ron's ribs, telling Ron off for being insensitive. Sirius and Remus shared amused looks as Ron let Hermione scold him for Harry's sake, bringing back some normality back into his life. When Harry yawned Hermione brought up the subject of OWL's with Remus much to Ron's horror, knowing that Harry was tired from today and needed sleep, so left him to rest as she talked with Remus. Sirius then challenged Ron to a game of chess, both of them going to other side of the room where Sirius had a table set up with the chess board and pieces. A half hour later when Hermione looked over at Harry, she found his eyes closed with a small grin on his face, and found a blanket on the couch to put over him, and bent down to kiss his cheek.

"Sweet dreams." She whispered, before she went back onto the other couch with Remus.

* * *

**A/N: I'm shocked at how fast I got this chapter done, but I had a lot of free time these past two days! And by the way, Hermione is acting like a concerned sister, Harry nor her have any romantic feeling towards each other. I just wanted to make that clear, this is a Harry/Ginny and Ron/Hermione story.**


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